Parkinson's Disease Brain Scan
An estimated one million Americans and 10 million people world wide suffer from Parkinson's Disease (Parkinson's Disease Foundation), a debilitating, chronic condition that is generally characterized by tremors in the extremities and face, slowness or stiffness in limb movement and imparied balance and coordination. Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with this crippling disease.
Led by Dr. Melvin Fratkin, the Nuclear Medicine Section of the VCU Department of Radiology has begun offering a new service to help physicians diagnose Parkinson's Disease with a brain scan. Previously, physicians have had to rely on physical symptoms and non-specific tests and other vague indicators to diagnose the condition. However, a new product called DaTscan (TM) from GE Healthcare combined with the technology and expertise of the Nuclear Medicine staff to provide a new type of imaging study to help detect and diagnose early onset Parkinson's Disease.
Using SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging and the DaTscan (TM) radiopharmaceutical injection, scans of the patient's brain are taken and images are created that can help detect Parkinson's Disease. Figure 1 below shows a scan of a normal brain and Figures 2-4 show abnormal results.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (804) 828-6828.
Additional resources on Parkinson's Disease