Dopamine uptake scan (DAT SPECT; DaTscan) for Parkinson's disease/primary extrapyramidal syndromes

This instalment brings another journal club episode, this time in the Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders series, focussing on the diagnostic accuracy of dopamine uptake scans (DAT SPECT; DaTscan) for Parkinson’s disease and the other primary extrapyramidal disorders/Parkinson’s plus syndromes (progressive supranuclear palsy, PSP; multiple system atrophy, MSA; corticobasal degeneration, CBD), and distinguishing these from other neurodegenerative conditions which may manifest with Parkinsonian features, and from other non-neurodegenerative conditions such as essential tremor, dystonic tremor, drug-induced Parkinsonism and vascular Parkinsonism. The episode also provides an example of critically evaluating a journal article and determining how it should be applied in daily practice, an essential and transferable skill across all of clinical medicine. This is a more advanced episode, best suited for neurology trainees and neurologists, although other audience members should also find it valuable.#medicaleducation #doctor #parkinsonsdisease #journalclub #rneurologyeducation