Advances in molecular imaging techniques and the increasing availability of functional imaging are expanding the role of nuclear medicine in neuroradiology. Molecular imaging has a well-established role in the evaluation of extrapyramidal disorders. In this setting, functional assessment
can be combined with structural imaging to make a more accurate diagnosis. This is particularly useful in a number of more clinically challenging pathologies. This review discusses the role and context of imaging in extrapyramidal disorders. Structural imaging with MR imaging in combination
with iodine 123 N-ω-fluoropropyl-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane SPECT (dopamine transporter SPECT), iodine 123 metaiodobenzylguanidine cardiac scintigraphy, and [18F]FDG-PET can be used to differentiate various underlying disease processes including
Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration.Learning Objective: To assess dopamine transporter studies qualitatively and semiquantitatively and categorize them as having normal, abnormal, or indeterminate
findings and to understand the role of MR imaging, iodine 123 metaiodobenzylguanidine cardiac scintigraphy, and [18F] FDG-PET in advancing the differential diagnoses of patients with Parkinson disease and atypical parkinsonian syndrome
The Role of Popliteal Lymph Nodes in Differentiating Rheumatoid Arthritis from Osteoarthritis by Using CE 3D-FSPGR MR Imaging: Relationship of the Inflamed Synovial Volume
