Subregional patterns of preferential striatal dopamine transporter loss differ in Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and multiple-system atrophy.
Parkinson disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and multiple-system atrophy (MSA) are known to affect dopaminergic neurons of the brain stem and striatum with different preferential involvement. Here we investigated differences in striatal subregional dopamine transporter loss in PD, PSP, and MSA and assessed the diagnostic value of (18)F-fluorinated-N-3-fluoropropyl-2-β-carboxymethoxy-3-β-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane ((18)F-FP-CIT) PET in differentiating PSP and MSA from PD.


METHODS
Forty-nine patients with PD, 19 patients with PSP, 24 patients with MSA, and 21 healthy people (healthy controls) were examined with (18)F-FP-CIT PET. The PET images were spatially normalized and analyzed with 12 striatal subregional volume-of-interest (VOI) templates (bilateral ventral striatum [VS], anterior caudate [AC], posterior caudate, anterior putamen, posterior putamen [PP], and ventral putamen [VP]) and 1 occipital VOI template. The nondisplaceable binding potential (BP(ND)) and intersubregional ratio (ISR; defined as the ratio of the BP(ND) of one striatal subregion to that of another striatal subregion) of subregional VOIs were calculated.


RESULTS
The BP(ND) of all VOIs in the PD, MSA, and PSP groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy controls (P < 0.05). The BP(ND) of AC and the AC/VS ISR in the PSP group were significantly lower than those in the PD group. The BP(ND) of VP was significantly lower, but the PP/VP ISR was significantly higher in the MSA group than in the PD group. At the cutoff value for the AC/VS ISR (<0.7), the sensitivity and specificity for differentiating PSP from PD were 94% and 92%, respectively. At the cutoff value for the PP/VP ISR (>0.65), the sensitivity and specificity for differentiating MSA from PD were 90% and 45%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of visual analysis was similar to that of quantitative analysis for differentiating PSP from PD but was significantly higher for differentiating MSA from PD.


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with PD, PSP and MSA showed more prominent and earlier dopamine transporter loss in the AC and VP, respectively. These findings could be useful for suggesting PSP or MSA in parkinsonian cases without characteristic atypical features.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Seoul, Korea.
Minyoung
M
Oh
Jae Seung
JS
Kim
Ji Young
JY
Kim
Kwang-Ho
KH
Shin
Seol Hoon
SH
Park
Hye Ok
HO
Kim
Dae Hyuk
DH
Moon
Seung Jun
SJ
Oh
Sun Ju
SJ
Chung
Chong Sik
CS
Lee
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011699:Putamen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods; D014326:Tropanes
D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014326:Tropanes; C087552:2-carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)tropane