Why PET quantification matters today
The treatment landscape for Alzheimer’s disease is changing. With the introduction of disease-modifying anti-amyloid therapies, clinicians need reliable ways to identify the right patients, measure amyloid burden, and monitor changes over time. While PET scans have long been used to detect amyloid plaques in the brain, visual interpretation alone can vary between readers, making objective quantification increasingly valuable.
The growing importance of Centiloids
One of the biggest advances in amyloid PET imaging is the introduction of the Centiloid scale. In simple terms, Centiloids provide a common and standardized "measuring stick" for amyloid burden, allowing PET results to be compared regardless of the scanner, tracer, or hospital where the examination was performed. This standardization is becoming increasingly important as more patients receive anti-amyloid therapies and require long-term follow-up.
For example, a patient may undergo an amyloid PET scan before starting treatment and again several months later. The initial scan might show a Centiloid value of 95, indicating a high amyloid burden. After a year of therapy, the follow-up scan may show that the value has decreased to 35 Centiloids. Instead of simply describing the scan as "improved," clinicians now have an objective measure of how much amyloid has been removed. If the patient remains above the threshold for amyloid positivity, continued monitoring or treatment may still be appropriate, while a substantial reduction—or even conversion to amyloid-negative—can help guide future clinical decisions.
How quantitative software supports clinicians
Quantitative PET software automatically calculates standardized measures such as Centiloid values and presents them in an easy-to-understand report. Instead of relying only on visual interpretation, clinicians receive objective numbers that can support diagnosis, treatment selection, and longitudinal monitoring. One example is Combinostics' cloud-based cPET solution, which supports automated analysis of Amyloid and FDG PET scans and was among the first software solutions to receive both CE marking and FDA clearance for Centiloid quantification.
Because cPET is cloud-based, it can be deployed with minimal local IT infrastructure, making it easier for hospitals to integrate quantitative PET analysis into their existing workflow.
Bringing disciplines together
cPET is part of the broader cNeuro platform, which brings together MRI, PET, and clinical information in a single workflow. This helps neurologists, neuroradiologists, and nuclear medicine physicians review the same patient information together, supporting multidisciplinary discussions and more consistent clinical decisions.
Looking ahead
As Alzheimer’s care becomes increasingly focused on personalized treatment, quantitative PET imaging is becoming an essential tool rather than a nice-to-have feature. By providing standardized and reproducible measurements, it helps clinical teams make more confident and consistent decisions throughout the patient journey.
Interested in le
arning more?
Watch the following videos to see how quantitative PET imaging and Centiloid analysis can support clinical decision-making:
Elena Bonke is a Medical Science Liaison at Combinostics/SyntheticMR, where she supports the clinical adoption of the companies’ AI-based neuroimaging solutions for dementia and other neurological disorders. She works closely with clinicians, researchers, and industry partners to help bring new technologies into clinical practice.