A basic smell test is as sensitive as a dopamine transporter scan: comparison of olfaction, taste and DaTSCAN in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Aim: To evaluate relationship between odour identification, taste threshold, dopamine transporter scan (DaTSCAN) and motor function in early Parkinson's disease (PD) and their diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: Seventy-three patients with early parkinsonism were evaluated by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), DaTSCAN, electrogustometry (EGM) threshold and University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Olfactory Event-Related potentials (OERP) were performed on 49 patients. At follow-up (mean 15.3 months), patients were diagnosed as 'PD' or 'non-PD'. DaTSCAN images were assessed visually and semi-quantitatively by QuantiSPECT.

Results: The sensitivity of UPSIT (86%) was not significantly different from that of the DaTSCAN (92%). UPSIT correlated moderately with DaTSCAN uptake (r = 0.44; P < 0.005) and UPDRS score (r = 0.43; P < 0.05) and weakly with symptom duration (r = 0.25; P < 0.05). In the PD group, OERP showed increased latency but no change in amplitude and no correlation with DaTSCAN. EGM thresholds were impaired in 22% of the PD group but they did not correlate with any other test parameters. DaTSCAN-UPSIT discordance was found in nine patients with PD, but neither was diagnostically superior.

Conclusion: Our patients with early PD have a frequent and severe olfactory deficit that correlates with disease severity, symptom duration and DaTSCAN but not EGM. The sensitivities of UPSIT and DaTSCAN are high at 86% and 92%, respectively. Although DaTSCAN is superior for 'localization', UPSIT is considerably 'cheaper', and neither is disease specific. EGM threshold impairment in PD is independent of the smell deficit, and probably signifies advanced disease.