DaTscan/Parkinson

The US Food and Drug Administration, on January 17, approved the use of DaTscan, a novel imaging technique that can be used to help diagnose Parkinson's disease in its early stages.  The technique, which combines the injection of an iodine-based radioactive chemical with an imaging process (known as "SPECT")  that detects and measures the presence of dopamine, has been used successfully in Europe for more than a decade.  A machine similar to but smaller than an MRI machine, called a "single photon emission computed tomography machine," or Spect scanner, measures the amount and location of the drug in the brain.  These scans are used to help a doctor confirm a diagnosis.  A DaTscan can be used to help rule out other diseases that may have clinical symptoms similar to those seen in Parkinson's, such as essential tremor that do not show the deficiency in dopamine that marks Parkinson's disease.  Among some individuals, there have been reports of headache, nausea, vertigo, dry mouth, and mild to moderate dizziness.  There have also been cases of hypersensitivity reaction and pain at the site of the injection.  No other major side effects have been reported.