Correlation between Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT and F-FDOPA PET in patients with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

Objective: To determine whether technetium-99m-labeled tropane derivative single-photon emission computed tomography (Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT) provides results comparable to those of the less widely available, less accessible tool fluorine-18-labeled fluorodopa positron-emission tomography (F-FDOPA PET) in the setting of a movement disorders clinic.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective pilot study, eight subjects with a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease were randomly selected from among patients under treatment at a movement disorders clinic and submitted to Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT and F-FDOPA PET. The results were read by two experienced observers, and a semiquantitative analysis was performed.

Results: The visual and semiquantitative analyses were concordant for all studies, showing that radiotracer uptake in the contralateral striatum on the most affected side was lower when Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT was employed. The semiquantitative analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between F-FDOPA PET and Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT (r = 0.73; < 0.01).

Conclusion: It appears that Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT is a valid option for the study of dopaminergic function in a clinical setting.