Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society
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Multicenter Study
Accuracy of DaTSCAN (123I-Ioflupane) SPECT in diagnosis of patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonism: 2-year follow-up of an open-label study.
We previously reported on the role of dopamine transporter (DAT) SPECT in the workup of patients with clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndromes (CUPS). The findings of that study supported the use of SPECT imaging with DaTSCAN ((123)I-Ioflupane) for accurate diagnosis in this population. We report here the 2-year follow-up of the CUPS study, which aimed to validate the results of DaTSCAN imaging and to ascertain whether a second scan could minimize any residual diagnostic uncertainty among those with an inconclusive diagnosis. ⋯ Follow-up DaTSCAN SPECT helped to establish a diagnosis in 7 of 8 patients (87.5%) with a previously inconclusive diagnosis. DaTSCAN imaging shows a high rate of agreement with clinical diagnosis after 2-years follow-up. A second scan at 2 years follow-up can reduce remaining diagnostic uncertainty that is present even after a prolonged period of observation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Short-term continuous infusion of apomorphine hydrochloride for treatment of Huntington's chorea: A double blind, randomized cross-over trial.
We evaluated tolerability and the efficacy of continuous infusion of apomorphine hydrochloride on involuntary movements and mood disorder in Huntington's disease (HD) patients in a pilot, single center, double-blind, randomized, crossover, and controlled versus placebo study. Nine patients with a molecular diagnosis of HD were screened for response to acute apomorphine injection. Four of them, not ameliorating at the acute test, were discontinued. ⋯ The HAD score did not change after infusion of either treatment. No serious adverse events were reported by either group during the study. Our results suggest that continuous infusion of apomorphine might be considered for the treatment of involuntary movements in some HD patients.