[123I]β-CIT single-photon emission tomography in DOPA-responsive dystonia

The radiotracer [123I]β‐CIT is a sensitive marker of dopamine uptake sites that can be used to visualize dopaminergic nerve endings in vivo in the human brain. We report on [123I]β‐CIT single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) findings in a patient with DOPA‐responsive dystonia (DRD). [123I]β‐CIT SPECT showed a striatal radiotracer uptake in the upper range of normal, indicating intact dopamine transporters and structural integrity of nigrostriatal neurons. This differentiates DRD from clinically similar cases with juvenile‐onset parkinsonism with dystonia that have a considerably poorer prognosis. [123I]β‐CIT SPECT may provide a method equally as useful as fluorodopa positron emission tomography in DRD.