Abstract
Purpose: Two commonly used imaging techniques to aid in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative parkinsonian syndromes are dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging with [123I]-FP-CIT single-photon emission computed tomography (DAT-SPECT) and positron emission tomography with [18F]-FDOPA (FDOPA-PET). This paper provides a unique series of parkinsonian patients who received both FDOPA-PET and DAT-SPECT in routine clinical practice and compares the reported results to assess potential differences between these two imaging techniques. Methods: We present 11 patients with a clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndrome (CUPS), who received both FDOPA-PET and DAT-SPECT. All patients received an FDOPA-PET scan and DAT-SPECT as part of routine clinical care. Results: The median time between the F-DOPA-PET scan and DAT-SPECT scan was 6 months (range 0–15 months). There was a discrepancy in the reported results of the FDOPA-PET and DAT-SPECT scans in nine patients, including 7 patients whose FDOPA-PET scan was reportedly normal, whereas their DAT-SPECT scan was abnormal. Conclusions: In this case series of CUPS patients, DAT-SPECT was more often rated as abnormal than FDOPA-PET. The striatal loss of FDOPA uptake can be less pronounced than that of DAT binding in CUPS patients in early disease stages. Consequently, the interpretation of FDOPA-PET scans in CUPS can sometimes be challenging in routine practice.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 68 |
Journal | EJNMMI Research |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Dopamine transporter
- F-FDOPA
- I-FP-CIT SPECT
- Nigrostriatal degeneration
- PET
- Parkinsonism