[I-123] BETA-CIT SINGLE-PHOTON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY IN DOPA-RESPONSIVEDYSTONIA

The radiotracer [I-123]beta-CIT is a sensitive marker of dopamine upta ke sites that can be used to visualize dopaminergic nerve endings in v ivo in the human brain. We report on [I-123]beta-CIT single-photon emi ssion computed tomography (SPECT) findings in a patient with DOPA-resp onsive dystonia (DRD). [I-123]beta-CIT SPECT showed a striatal radiotr acer uptake in the upper range of normal, indicating intact dopamine t ransporters and structural integrity of nigrostriatal neurons. This di fferentiates DRD from clinically similar cases with juvenile-onset par kinsonism with dystonia that have a considerably poorer prognosis. [I- 123]beta-CIT SPECT may provide a method equally as useful as fluorodop a positron emission tomography in DRD.