DaT's Awesome: Hawai'i's First Dopamine Transporter (DaT) Nuclear Medicine Study

Parkinsonian Syndromes are difficult to accurately diagnose and distinguish from other neurological processes such as essential tremor. Until now, physical exam and clinical presentation have been the gold standard for diagnosis (bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, and postural instability).1 However, this leads to over- or under diagnosis and improper treatment due to variability in presentation and symptoms.1 A nuclear medicine study using I-123 Ioflupane (DaTSCAN) has been developed, which allows accurate differentiation of Parkinsonian Syndromes from other etiologies.1 This study is now widely performed on the mainland, but has never been done in Hawai'i due to its East Coast sourcing and relatively short physical half-life. Through a highly coordinated logistical effort, Tripler Army Medical Center's Nuclear Medicine Department conducted the first DaTSCAN in Hawai'i in April 2016.