Should I request my Consultant for a Dat scan?

[Court]

I have never been offered or been given any kind of scan to confirm my diagnosis of PD. Whilst I believe I have PD my husband does not and says he needs concrete information to convince him.

I notice that a number of people on this site refer to Datscans as confirming their diagnosis. I don't know much about this scan, what it involves and to be honest whether it is worth having, or even if it would be suitable for me.

I would be interested in hearing other people's experiences and whether they would recommend it.

[Hidden]

i had a dat scan in march 2008 .its a neuclear injection into your arm then u wait for a few hrs and then you get your scan it shows up the area of the brain that stores dopamine . i would recomend it to u as u would know for sure then .

[Hidden]

Hi,

I had one done early decwmber and it confirnmed thay i have PD, i was told it's very expencive and that they do not use it unless they have to , suppose it depends which NHS area you live in, i Live in Glasgow and from my Pd doctor refering me the scan was carried out with in 3 weeks.

Go for it

Al

[Hidden]

I had one July 2011, I found it gave me definate proof that I have Parkinson's. I was referred by my neurologist in northants and it was performed at John Radcliffe. Good luck x

[AndyC]

I was offered a Dat scan by my neurologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital here in Sheffield last year. He said any results are 99% accurate. I had it on July 14th 2011 and it showed the Dopamine levels on the left side of my brain are depleted indicating that I have PD.

Good luck

Andy

[nene1]

It was a Dat scan that confirmed, pd for me!

Best of luck!

Wendy

[WayneP]

If you have had PD for any amount of time and are on meds that are making an improvement in your condition then the scan would really be a waste of time and money. This scan is really useful for diagnosing new cases only.

Best of Luck

Wayne

[srarndt]

Another guideline here is whether or not your PD is presenting in a way where the symptomology seems conclusive enough (without the scan) and if (like WayneP commented) the meds are somewhat successful at minimizing the negative impacts of PD. I must disagree a tiny wee bit about it being a tool exclusively for new cases. While it might indeed provide clarity in new cases (again especially those which are not presenting in a fairly typical way and where the meds do not seem to help much) the scan is also very beneficial for older cases that have been presenting in very atypical fashion and consequently stymieing the doctors efforts at developing a conclusive diagnosis. For example: I run a small (12 person) PD support group in my town and three of my longer term members had the scan after years of bouncing around from neurologist to neurologist without a definitive diagnosis. All 3 now know they definitely have PD.

Steve (Bisbee, AZ)

[Court in reply to srarndt]

Thanks for this. I know that I probably have PD. It is my husband who doubts the diagnosis. This because my initial diagnoses were saying that it definitely was not PD, even my own GP confirmed this.

It is true that medication usually controls my tremor, but quite often makes no difference. I also know that this is not unusual as a number of different factors affect PD.

I will probably mention the scan to my Consultant but do not expect to be offered the scan.

[srarndt]

I have had the same issue with the tremor not responding consistantly to the meds. Best wishes with this...

How about a new hubby? (Just a thought, lol!)

[Court in reply to srarndt]

Tremor has a mind of its own this evening and not responded to tablets at all so I shall go to bed.

Regarding hubby. Could maybe be tempted by a rich toy boy - on a good day!

I know that I am luckier than many with PD so will have to hang in there and take the bad with the good.

Sue

[MerckK]

I got MRI, PET scan and SPECT of my brain to confirm Parkinson's. I personally feel that these tests are not required as the weakness in body parts like hands and limbs with their non or slow movement itself is the outcome of Parkinson's disease. The radiology also depicts that. It is my suggestion that one should avoid much exposure to radiation, that too of brain