PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEWS

17th June 2009 - New research

COMPARISON OF SCANNING METHODS FOR DIAGNOSING PARKINSON'S DISEASE

European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging [2009] 36 (3) : 454-462 (Eshuis SA, Jager PL, Maguire RP, Jonkman S, Dierckx RA, Leenders KL.) Complete abstract 

Around 25% of people with Parkinson's Disease are wrongly diagnosed, due to the diversity of symptoms and the coincidence with other medical disorders. There are two methods of scanning the brain that enable the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease by measuring the activity of dopamine in the brain : the SPECT scan and the PET scan. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the sensitivity and specificity of the two methods in the diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. The patients underwent both types of brain scan. The SPECT scan and the PET scan were both able to distinguish people with Parkinson's Disease. For the early phases of Parkinson's Disease, sensitivity and specificity was 100%. When only one part of the brain was assessed, the accuracy was still 100% for the SPECT scan, but was 90% for the PET scan. This level of efficacy presently makes scanning, especially the SPECT scan, the most reliable method of diagnosing Parkinson's Disease. For more current news go to Parkinson's Disease News.

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Parkinson's Disease News details all significant new research, news reports, new books, and new resources concerning Parkinson's Disease and those medical disorders that often coincide with Parkinson's Disease. It is compiled from an analysis of  all newly published research, news reports, new clinical trials, all newly published books, and new web sites. A summary and analysis of the new research are provided,  as well as links to the complete abstracts and news reports.