Using [18F]FDOPA PET/CT to Monitor the Effectiveness of Fetal Dopaminergic Grafts in Parkinson Disease Patients

While positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can assist in the diagnosis of Parkinson disease (PD), it can also potentially help monitor treatment options for PD. One such experimental therapeutic option for PD is fetal dopaminergic transplantation trials. A potential goal of such novel therapies is to replace deficient dopaminergic neurons in PD. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have been at the frontier of these exciting treatment options. \[18F\]FDOPA PET/CT imaging has been successfully used by some authors to monitor engraftment and assess efficacy of fetal dopaminergic transplant . This study also aims to utilize \[18F\]FDOPA PET/CT imaging to potentially aid in detecting alterations in the dopaminergic pathway from these innovative surgical treatment options. There are two main objectives of this study: 1) Evaluate the effectiveness of fetal dopaminergic grafts in patients with PD using FDOPA PET imaging pre and post-surgical implantation and a secondary longer term goal 2) Correlate the \[18F\]FDOPA PET/CT findings in early PD with post-mortem pathological analyses of PD