How is cjd diagnosed?

If CJD=....: Creutzfeldt-jakob disease, then a brain biopsy is the only manner in which the typical spongiform changes seen in cjd can be definitively diagnosed. Eeg and MRI are very helpful in finding patterns typical for cjd; however, other more common causes for dementia need to be ruled out before cjd can be considered. Prions, proteins that aggregate in the brain in cjd, are thought to cause the diease.

Pathology: Mri may suggest cjd. Definitive diagnosis requires tissue examination by biopsy or at autopsy. For more info see the site below. www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/resources/cid-september15-2005editorialeb-rh-lbs.pdf.