What Are The Limitations Of The Test
Currently, DaTscan that is in clinical use is not quantitative, which means that the test is not designed to determine how impaired the dopamine system is just whether it is or not. This means that the test is not used to tell you whether the disease has progressed over time and is not used to follow a patients disease. It also is not used currently as a clinical test to screen for the disease before motor symptoms are evident. Because of these limitations, the search continues for additional measurable indicators, known as biomarkers, to help diagnosis and manage PD.
Tips and Takeaways
- DaTscan is a test that can help in the diagnosis of PD, although in most situations a clinical exam done by a neurologist offers the same information.
- Neurologists are skilled to diagnose PD through a clinical exam. While the exam to some may seem very basic and thus a PD diagnosis subjective or questionable, neurologists are well-trained to assess and diagnose with confidence.
- DaTscan may be useful in distinguishing PD from certain conditions, but not from others, so talk with your neurologist about whether DaTscan would be useful in your specific situation.
- DaTscan is not a test used for monitoring PD progression. It can be used to help clarify a PD diagnosis, but it is not a test you would undergo multiple times during the course of your disease.
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Who Is Datscan For
DaTscan is not necessary for every Parkinsons patient. For most, the distinct clinical symptoms such as slowness of movement, tremors, and stiffness are sufficient to reach a diagnosis, and the information generated through the scan may not be new and will not alter their treatment plans.
However, in patients with unclear symptoms that overlap with other neurological conditions and for those who do not respond to treatment, DaTscan can be necessary to reach a diagnosis.
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A Brain Scan That Could Diagnose Parkinson’s
New research, published in the scientific journal Radiology, highlights the potential of using a type of brain scan as a diagnostic tool in Parkinson’s.
The Nottingham University Hospital researchers, funded by Parkinson’s UK, used an MRI brain scan to study changes in a pigment in the part of the brain affected by Parkinson’s.
In 69 participants, they found that the brain scan was highly accurate at identifying those with mild or moderate Parkinson’s highlighting the potential of this technique as a diagnostic test.
What Are The Symptoms
Each person is affected differently by Parkinsons disease and no two people will experience exactly the same symptoms. The impact of Parkinsons disease can be unpredictable and it is common for people to have good days and bad days.
The main symptoms of Parkinsons disease are:
- tremor
- rigidity
- balance problems
- problems with posture
Other possible symptoms include difficulty initiating movement , a shuffling gait when walking, and freezing when trying to move . People might experience a loss of facial expression, speech problems , swallowing problems, bowel and bladder problems, difficulties at night and tiredness during the day. Skin can become greasy and people might experience excessive sweating. Sexual problems are common. People often experience depression and anxiety. Another common symptom is small handwriting .
Other less common symptoms can include pain and memory problems.
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Tests To Rule Out Other Conditions
Blood tests can help rule out other possible causes of the symptoms, such as abnormal thyroid hormone levels or liver damage.
An MRI or CT scan can check for signs of a stroke or brain tumor, which may cause similar symptoms.
Hydrocephalus due to atrophy can occur with some types of dementia and would be visible with one of these imaging tests. If the person has neurologic symptoms but a normal scan result, Parkinsons disease may be present.
The doctor a lumbar puncture to rule out inflammation or a brain infection.
What Is Essential Tremor And How Is It Different To A Parkinsons Tremor
A tremor is a rhythmical, involuntary movement that affects a part of the body, such as the hand.
Essential tremor is the most common type of tremor. Its most noticeable when your hands are doing something and it usually affects both the right and left sides of the body equally. Essential tremors often lessen when your body is resting.
Unlike an essential tremor, a Parkinsons tremor is most obvious when the affected body part is resting and tends to be less noticeable with movement. It usually starts on one side of the body and may progress to the other side as Parkinsons develops.
The time it takes to get a diagnosis can vary from person to person. Some people may receive a diagnosis of Parkinsons quite quickly, but for others it may be a long process. This can be due to a number of things, including your medical history, your age and what symptoms you have.
Your specialist may wish to rule out other causes of your symptoms first and see how you respond to treatment. This may take some time, and, as already mentioned, there is currently no definitive test for Parkinsons.
How you respond to treatment may help your specialist make a diagnosis. Keeping a diary or record of your symptoms will give the specialist more information to guide their decision.
Because the symptoms of Parkinsons are sometimes similar to other forms of parkinsonism, people can sometimes be misdiagnosed.
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Testing For Parkinsons Disease
There is no lab or imaging test that is recommended or definitive for Parkinsons disease. However, in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an imaging scan called the DaTscan. This technique allows doctors to see detailed pictures of the brains dopamine system.
A DaTscan involves an injection of a small amount of a radioactive drug and a machine called a single-photon emission computed tomography scanner, similar to an MRI.
The drug binds to dopamine transmitters in the brain, showing where in the brain dopaminergic neurons are.
The results of a DaTscan cant show that you have Parkinsons, but they can help your doctor confirm a diagnosis or rule out a Parkinsons mimic.
What Can I Expect On The Day Of The Ct Scan
Please allow at least one hour for your CT scan. Most scans take from 15 to 60 minutes.
Depending on the type of scan you need, a contrast material may be injected intravenously so the radiologist can see the body structures on the CT image.
After the contrast agent is injected, you may feel flushed, or you may have a metallic taste in your mouth. These are common reactions. If you experience shortness of breath or any unusual symptoms, please tell the technologist.
The technologist will help you lie in the correct position on the examining table. The table will then automatically move into place for imaging. It is very important that you lie as still as possible during the entire procedure. Movement could blur the images. You may be asked to hold your breath briefly at intervals when the X-ray images are taken.
After the test is performed the results are reviewed by a radiologist.
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When Is Datscan Helpful
There are situations in which DaTscan can be very helpful in securing a diagnosis when neurologic exam findings are not clear-cut. Although DaTscan cannot distinguish PSP, CBGD, and MSA from PD, studies suggest that it may be able to distinguish drug-induced parkinsonism and vascular parkinsonism from PD.
The FDA indication for DaTscan is for distinguishing between PD and essential tremor . Usually it is quite straightforward for a neurologist to distinguish between the tremors of ET and the tremors of PD. PD tremors occur at rest and are accompanied by slowness and stiffness of the limb, whereas ET tremors occur with action and are not accompanied by slowness and stiffness of the limb. However, some people may have mixed tremor features making the diagnosis more difficult. In those cases, a DaTscan can be very useful.
Response To Parkinsons Drugs
After examining you, and depending on the severity of your symptoms, your specialist may suggest you take medication for Parkinsons. If your symptoms improve after taking Parkinsons medication for a few weeks or months, your specialist may confirm a Parkinsons diagnosis. However, some people with other forms of parkinsonism will also respond well to these drugs.
Your specialist may suggest you have a scan to help make a diagnosis. However, scans alone cant make a definite diagnosis of Parkinsons, so they are not commonly used.
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Referral To A Specialist
If your GP suspects Parkinson’s disease, you’ll be referred to a specialist.
This will usually be:
- a neurologist, a specialist in conditions affecting the brain and nervous system
- a geriatrician, a specialist in problems affecting elderly people
The specialist will most likely ask you to perform a number of physical exercises so they can assess whether you have any problems with movement.
A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is likely if you have at least 2 of the 3 following symptoms:
- shaking or tremor in a part of your body that usually only occurs at rest
- slowness of movement
- muscle stiffness
If your symptoms improve after taking a medication called levodopa, it’s more likely you have Parkinson’s disease.
Special brain scans, such as a single photon emission computed tomography scan, may also be carried out in some cases to try to rule out other causes of your symptoms.
How Is Parkinson’s Diagnosed
Current evidence suggests that Parkinsons tends to develop gradually. It may be many months, even years, before the symptoms become obvious enough for someone to go to the doctor.
This information looks at what parkinsonism is, how Parkinsons and other similar conditions may be diagnosed, and explains some of the tests that may be involved in the process.
Parkinsonism is a term used to describe symptoms or signs that are found in Parkinsons, but which can also be found in other conditions that cause slowness of movement, stiffness and tremor.
Most people with a form of parkinsonism have idiopathic Parkinsons disease, also known as Parkinsons. Idiopathic means the cause is unknown.
Other less common forms of parkinsonism include multiple system atrophy , progressive supranuclear palsy , drug-induced parkinsonism and vascular Parkinsons.
If youre concerned about symptoms youve been experiencing, you should visit your GP. If your GP suspects you have Parkinsons, clinical guidelines recommend they should refer you quickly to a specialist with experience in diagnosing the condition .
Its not always easy to diagnose the condition. So its important that you see a Parkinsons specialist to get an accurate diagnosis and to consider the best treatment options.
Diagnosing Parkinsons can take some time as there are other conditions, such as essential tremor , with similar symptoms. There is also currently no definitive test for diagnosing Parkinsons.
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Postsynaptic Da System Imaging Studies
Postsynaptic DA receptors have a lower affinity to agonists than for antagonists and as such, most PET studies utilise antagonist ligands . A study of early PD patients used the radiotracers 11C-SCH23390 to assess striatal D1 receptors and 11C-raclopride to assess striatal D2 receptors . It was demonstrated that although the patient groups clinically presented with unilateral symptoms, there was a symmetric binding of 11C-SCH23390 across both hemispheres compared to an asymmetric binding of RAC , suggesting that there is an abnormal binding of D2 and not D1 receptors in early PD. Similarly, a PET study using both 11C-SCH23390 and 18F-DOPA demonstrated no difference in D1 receptor density between PD patients and healthy controls .
A two-scan RAC PET study has reported, in advanced PD cases that, improvement in bradykinesia and rigidity scores following oral DA medication administration were significantly correlated with reductions in RAC binding suggesting an effect of increased DA on the striatal D2 receptors .
RAC PET has also been employed in de novo PD patients and demonstrated a 10-20% increase in D2 receptor availability in the putamen contralateral to the clinically affected side whereas the caudate nucleus appears to remain relatively intact .
What Doctors Look For When Diagnosing Parkinsons
Certain physical signs and symptoms noticed by the patient or his or her loved ones are usually what prompt a person to see the doctor. These are the symptoms most often noticed by patients or their families:
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Shaking or tremor: Called resting tremor, a trembling of a hand or foot that happens when the patient is at rest and typically stops when he or she is active or moving
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Bradykinesia: Slowness of movement in the limbs, face, walking or overall body
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Rigidity: Stiffness in the arms, legs or trunk
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Posture instability: Trouble with balance and possible falls
Once the patient is at the doctors office, the physician:
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Takes a medical history and does a physical examination.
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Asks about current and past medications. Some medications may cause symptoms that mimic Parkinsons disease.
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Performs a neurological examination, testing agility, muscle tone, gait and balance.
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Determining Diagnosis Through Response To Parkinsons Medication
If a persons symptoms and neurologic examination are only suggestive of Parkinsons disease or if the diagnosis is otherwise in doubt, the physician may, nevertheless, prescribe a medication intended for Parkinsons disease to provide additional information. In the case of idiopathic Parkinsons, there is typically a positive, predictable response to Parkinsons disease medication in the case of some related Parkinsonian syndromes, the response to medication may not be particularly robust, or it may be absent entirely.
Unfortunately, there are no standard biological tests for the disease, such as a blood test. However, researchers are actively trying to find biomarkers in blood and other bodily fluids that could help confirm the diagnosis.
How A Diagnosis Is Made
The bedside examination by a neurologist remains the first and most important diagnostic tool for Parkinsons disease . Researchers are working to develop a standard biological marker such as a blood test or an imaging scan that is sensitive and specific for Parkinsons disease.
A neurologist will make the diagnosis based on:
- A detailed history of symptoms, medical problems, current and past medications. Certain medical conditions, as well as some medications, can cause symptoms similar to Parkinsons.
- A detailed neurological examination during which a neurologist will ask you to perform tasks to assess the agility of arms and legs, muscle tone, gait and balance, to see if:
- Expression and speech are animated.
- Tremor can be observed in your extremities at rest or in action.
- There is stiffness in extremities or neck.
- You can maintain your balance and examine your posture.
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Presynaptic Da System Imaging Studies
Presynaptic DA terminal functionality can be investigated using PET by measuring aromatic amino acid decarboxylase activity, dopa-mine transporter activity and vescular monoamine transporter density.
18F-DOPA PET is a radiotracer which can be used to assess AADC in the DA terminals . As AADC activity permits the conversion of L-DOPA to DA, 18F-DOPA PET can be used as a measure of DA terminal functionality. This tracer has been utilised to assess the correlation between 18F-DOPA binding and motor disability. It has been demonstrated that striatal 18F-DOPA binding and motor disability are inversely correlated , i.e. loss of DA terminals correlates with an increase in motor disability. There has also been an attempt with 18F-DOPA PET to delineate the pathogenesis of the core features of PD. This study reported 18F-DOPA uptake correlated with increased bradykinesia and rigidity scores but not with tremor scores, indicating that the pathogenesis for tremor may not be solely implicated by the DA system .
Furthermore, 18F-DOPA PET has been used to determine the stages of DA degeneration in PD. It has been demonstrated that the decline of DA function starts in the dorsalcaudal putamen contralateral to the clinically affected side and that the rate of degeneration in the caudate nucleus is slower than that of the putamen in early PD .
Datscan Imaging: A Clearer Picture Of Parkinson’s
Parkinsons disease affects one in every hundred people over the age of 60. Until recently, however, doctors had to rely on a clinical evaluation, combined with blood tests and brain studies, to diagnose this common movement disorder. But the results were often inconclusive because there was no test to distinguish Parkinsons disease and related disorders from other conditions that have similar symptoms. As a result, effective treatment could sometimes be delayed while the patient and physician searched for answers.
Timely Diagnosis
Now, a recently introduced nuclear imaging test called DaTscan is helping specialists at Orange Coast Memorial evaluate patients with suspected parkinsonian syndromes, of which PD is the most common. The test is especially important because it helps distinguish PD and allied disorders from a look-alike condition called essential tremora disorder characterized by trembling of the hands, head, and occasionally the arms and legs. Although Parkinsons disease and essential tremor both involve involuntary shaking movements that are similar, these disorders require very different treatments, says Daniel Truong, M.D., a internationally known neurologist and medical director of The Parkinsons and Movement Disorder Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center. DaTscan allows us to rule out essential tremor and other non-parkinsonian conditions, which can help lead to a more accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment.
Changes In The Brain
FDA Approved
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