Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society
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Methods provided by nuclear medicine may be helpful in diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). For that purpose, the sensitivity of iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine ([123I]MIBG) scintigraphy and [123I]FP-CIT single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was studied in patients with PD onset (Hoehn and Yahr Stage 1). Cerebral [123I]FP-CIT and cardiac [123I]MIBG scintigraphy were carried out in 18 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, according to Hoehn and Yahr Stage 1. ⋯ There was no significant correlation between the H/M ratio relating to MIBG scintigraphy and the motor part of UPDRS, age, disease duration, or gender; however, binding of striatal FP-CIT correlated significantly with cardiac MIBG accumulation. According to the clinical criteria, it might be difficult to prove the diagnosis of PD in patients with slight symptoms and in these cases, FP-CIT SPECT and MIBG scintigraphy may contribute to the early diagnosis of PD. In addition, the functional loss of nigrostriatal and cardiac sympathetic neurons seems to be coupled closely.