Positron emission tomography in Shy-Drager syndrome

• Published in: Annals of neurology Vol. 28; no. 1; p. 101
• Main Authors: Bhatt, M H, Snow, B J, Martin, W R, Cooper, S, Calne, D B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-07-1990
• Subjects: Aged; Autonomic Nervous System Diseases - metabolism; Corpus Striatum - metabolism; Corpus Striatum - physiology; Dopamine - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Shy-Drager Syndrome - diagnostic imaging; Shy-Drager Syndrome - metabolism; Synapses - physiology; Tomography, Emission-Computed
• ISSN: 0364-5134
• DOI: 10.1002/ana.410280120

We studied the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in 3 patients with Shy-Drager syndrome, by using positron emission tomography and [18F]6-fluoro-1-dopa to determine whether their parkinsonism correlated with impaired functional integrity of the presynaptic nigrostriatal pathway. One patient had short duration of disease, mild parkinsonism, and a normal positron emission tomographic scan, suggesting pathological changes functionally distal to the nigrostriatal pathway. Two patients with longer duration of disease had more severe parkinsonism and reduced [18F]6-fluoro-1-dopa uptake, suggesting impaired nigrostriatal dopaminergic function with progression of Shy-Drager syndrome.