DaTQUANT: The Future of Diagnosing Parkinson's Disease

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological condition which affects the dopamine transporters in the substantia nigra of the brain. Currently, over ten million people are living with this disease world-wide, with thousands of newly diagnosed and undiagnosed cases added every year. The disease is difficult to differentiate from other similar disorders, as symptoms widely vary and can mimic other conditions. Classic Parkinson's disease symptoms may look similar to essential tremor and other parkinsonian syndromes. The Iodine-123 Ioflupane dopamine transporter protocol differentiates Parkinson's disease from essential tremor through in-vivo testing with single-photon computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. The dopamine transporter (DaT) protocol commonly relies on a semi-quantitative analysis and visual interpretations of the images, which may produce inaccurate results due to human error. DaTQUANT software (General Electric Healthcare) was created in 2013 as an adjunct processing tool with advanced quantitative uptake methods and a designated normals database for a more accurate assessment of a patient's case. DaTQUANT has proven to be a vital protocol component for an accurate differentiation of Parkinson's disease from essential tremor. Current use of the software has been rather limited, so a greater push for education and implementation will be key for its success.