Optimizing the diagnosis of Parkinsonian syndromes with ¹²³I-ioflupane brain SPECT

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of ¹²³I-ioflupane SPECT in the evaluation of suspected parkinsonian syndromes (PSs). This collection of diseases presents frequent diagnostic challenges, even by movement disorder and dementia specialists. CONCLUSION. The ¹²³I-ioflupane scan serves as an imaging biomarker of the status of presynaptic dopamine transporters (DATs) in the striatum. As a result of neuronal death, DATs are greatly reduced in patients with PS neurodegenerative disorders, whereas clinical mimics generally do not show striatal DAT loss. This provides a tremendous opportunity for ¹²³I-ioflupane to aid in the accurate and timely diagnosis of these patients and optimize their management.