Differences in cerebellar perfusion between Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy.

Abstract Introduction Objective biomarkers are required for differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Objective We aimed to determine if cerebellar blood flow, measured using N-isopropyl-[123I] p-iodoamphetamine single photon emission computed tomography (123I -IMP-SPECT), was useful for differentiating between PD, MSA and PSP. Methods Twenty-four patients with PD, seventeen patients with MSA with predominant parkinsonian features (MSA-P), sixteenth patients with MSA with predominant cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C) and eight patients with PSP were enrolled. Twenty-seven normal controls' data were used for the calculation of z score. All patients underwent 123I -IMP-SPECT, and data were analyzed using a three-dimensional-stereotactic surface projection program. Results Cerebellar perfusion in MSA-P (MSA-P vs PD, P = .002; MSA-P vs PSP, P  Conclusion Our findings revealed that cerebellar perfusion by 123I-IMP-SPECT was useful for differentiating between PD and MSA-P.