Comparison of the ability of different quantitative indices in I-FP-CIT single-photon emission computed tomography to differentiate dopaminergic neurodegenerative disease.

Purpose: By imaging dopamine transporter (DAT) uptake in the striatum, I-FP-CIT SPECT can differentiate dopaminergic neurodegenerative disease (dNDD) and non-dNDD, which differ in pathophysiology and clinical management. Our aim was to compare and validate the diagnostic abilities of various I-FP-CIT SPECT quantitative indices for dNDD.

Materials And Methods: Distribution volume ratio (DVR) and binding ratio (BR), measures of DAT uptake capacity, were measured by analyzing clinical I-FP-CIT SPECT images of 29 patients with dNDD, including dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease, and 18 patients with non-dNDD, using Montreal Neurological Institute space-based anatomical standardization and an atlas template, which utilizes statistical parametric mapping.