18F-DPA-714 + 18F-FDG

The combination of **18F-DPA-714** and **18F-FDG** represents two distinct PET imaging radiotracers used together for complementary diagnostic purposes, particularly in neurological conditions. **18F-DPA-714** is a radiotracer that binds specifically to the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), which is upregulated during neuroinflammation and microglial activation. This makes it valuable for visualizing inflammatory processes in the brain and other tissues. **18F-FDG** (fluorodeoxyglucose) is a widely used radiotracer that measures glucose metabolism, providing information about metabolic activity in tissues. In neurological applications, decreased 18F-FDG uptake typically indicates reduced metabolic activity in affected brain regions. When used together, these radiotracers provide complementary information - 18F-DPA-714 shows neuroinflammation patterns while 18F-FDG reveals metabolic changes, offering a more comprehensive assessment of neurological conditions, particularly in epilepsy evaluation. The search results indicate that 18F-DPA-714 PET was significantly more accurate than 18F-FDG PET in showing anomalies (95.7% vs 56.5%) and providing additional information to refine epileptogenic zone localization (65.2% vs 17.4%) in drug-resistant focal epilepsy[1][2]. All patients with normal 18F-FDG PET scans showed anomalies when using 18F-DPA-714 PET[1][2]. 18F-DPA-714 has also shown promise in other applications including autoimmune encephalitis detection, chronic hepatic encephalopathy assessment, and monitoring neuroinflammation in various conditions[3][6]. The combination appears to be particularly valuable in presurgical evaluation of epilepsy patients, especially those with normal brain MRI or neocortical epileptogenic zones[1][2].