Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now -
and be informed for when it really matters

Register now for our vital and insightful health updates that have been described as some of “the best in the world”.

email to friend Printer friendly

Cover Story

A new imaging technique for parkinson’s

There is no accurate blood or imaging diagnostic test for Parkinson’s. Doctors make the diagnosis based on clinical examination - though this can be difficult as other conditions such as Alzheimer's disease can resemble PD and must first be excluded.

Misdiagnoses occur in up to 25 per cent of cases. Indeed, some claim that a definitive diagnosis is only possible on post mortem, when the fibrous tangles called Lewy bodies are found in that part of the brain that controls voluntary movement and produces the neurotransmitter dopamine.

The latest device used when the diagnosis is uncertain is the DaTSCAN. This brain-imaging technique is said to be able to differentiate parkinsonian syndromes from conditions such as essential tremor, which is much more common and requires different treatment (Pharm Vis, 2001; Summer: 30-2).

In a study to determine its diagnostic accuracy, DaTSCAN correctly identified 97 per cent of patients with PD (Mov Disord, 2000; 15: 503-10). However, other studies have shown a failure rate of 8 per cent (Arch Neurol, 2000; 57: 369-72).

Et (essential tremor) - A reader last time wanted to understand this condition, but sadly there were few takers.

Parkinson's disease - Q:How successful are some of the new therapies for Parkinson's disease? I've just heard that doctors are experimenting with transplanting fetal brain...

Hope for Alzheimer's? - The pharmaceutical companies have spectacularly failed to move beyond the ‘chemical imbalance’ view of Alzheimer’s disease. But new evidence points to...

The balancing act of drug treatment - In the early 1960s, researchers identified the fundamental brain defect behind Parkinson’s disease: loss of the brain cells producing the neurotransmi...

Parkinson's disease - The orthodox treatment for Parkinson's disease is L-Dopa, an amino acid. But for this to work, a co-enzyme called NADH is essential. NADH is formed f...

Diet for parkinson's disease - I have recently been diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease, so I am naturally very interested in anything that may help keep it under control, espec...

Me diagnosis hope dampened - The hopes are dampened of those trying to link ME, or post viral fatigue syndrome, to what has been considered the most likely viral candidate, and to...

Tremor - Q My 76-year-old father has recently developed tremors which his GP has diagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, but I would like a second opinion.

Register for our health updates and free gifts.

How You Beat Asthma
How To Beat Your M.E.
How You Beat ADHD
How You Beat Arthritis
How You Beat Backpain
How You Beat Depression How You Beat Pain
How You Beat The Menopause
How You Beat Heart Problems
WDDTY Health Shop

Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now - and be informed for when it really matters

A new imaging technique for parkinson’s

Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now -
and be informed for when it really matters