(18)F-DOPA PET with and without MRI fusion, a receiver operator characteristics comparison

This study is a retrospective analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of FDOPA PET with MRI fusion to FDOPA PET without MRI fusion. Clinical FDOPA PET scans obtained between 2000 and 2008 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics were assessed using measures derived from regions of interest (ROI) generated with fused MRI (fused group) and again with ROIs derived solely from PET data (non-fused groups). The ROIs were used to calculate ratios (Striatum/Occipital cortex, Striatum/Cerebellum) pertinent to Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. The clinical records were assessed for demographic data, follow-up length, and diagnosis. Receiver Operator Characteristics with area under the curve (AUC) measures were calculated and compared using confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. 27 patients had FDOPA PET with median clinical follow-up of 4 years. Of these, 17 patients had FDOPA PET with a fusible MR image. Seven of the 27 had a non-PD movement disorder. AUCs for the ratio measures ranged from 0.97-1.0 (fused), 0.73-0.83 (non-fused), and 0.63-0.82 (matched non-fused). The fused images had improved accuracy compared to the matched non-fused and all non-fused groups for the striatum to occipital group (p=0.04, p=0.03), while the striatum to cerebellum ratio had improvement over the non-fused all group (p=0.041). MR fusion to FDOPA PET improves the accuracy of at least some measures (Striatum/Occiput, Striatum/Cerebellum) in the diagnosis of PD.