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To measure the rate of progression in striatal [¹⁸F]dopa metabolism in a large group (n=32) of patients with Parkinson’s disease, to estimate the average duration of preclinical period, and to examine the influence of the PET method on the assessment of rate of progression and preclinical period.

Thirty two patients with Parkinson’s disease (mean age 58 (SD 13) years, mean duration 39 (SD 33) months) were assessed with [¹⁸F]dopa PET and UPDRS scoring on two occasions a mean of 18 (SD 6) months apart. PET data were sampled with separate caudate and putamen and total striatal regions of interest, and both graphical (Ki) and ratio methods of analysis.

The mean annual rate of deterioration in [¹⁸F]dopa uptake varied according to structure and method of analysis, with putamen Ki showing the most rapid mean rate of progression (4.7% of normal mean per year). The …