[18F]PR04.MZ PET/CT Imaging for Evaluation of Nigrostriatal Neuron Integrity in Patients With Parkinson Disease.

Introduction Degeneration of dopaminergic, nigrostriatal neurons is the hallmark of Parkinson disease (PD), and PET quantification of dopamine transporters is a widely accepted method for differential diagnosis between idiopathic PD and essential tremor. [18F]PR04.MZ is a new PET tracer with excellent imaging properties allowing for precise quantification of striatal and extrastriatal dopamine transporter. Here we describe our initial experience with [18F]PR04.MZ PET/CT in a larger cohort of healthy controls and PD patients as a proof-of-concept study for this tracer. Methods Eighteen healthy subjects, 19 early PD patients (Hoehn-Yahr I–II), and 13 moderate-advanced PD patients (Hoehn-Yahr …