Scintigraphy head (DAT scan)

Dopamine Transporter Scintigraphy Imaging (DAT scan)

A DAT scan involves a special form of brain scintigraphy during which the functioning of certain parts of nerve connections, so-called dopamine transporter, can be checked.
This study can make Parkinson's disease visible at a very early stage and can differentiate a harmless form of “tremor" from it. The pictorial representation of the so-called basal ganglia (nerve centres in the brain stem) allows your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe a targeted therapy based on this.

Examination procedure

Before the actual examination date you are invited to an in-depth patient briefing in our clinic so that we can discuss the exact procedure and preparation with you. You should bring all medication that you are taking to this patient briefing, because some medication must be discontinued prior to the examination.

You can eat and drink normally prior to the examination itself. There is also no restriction on the ability to drive after the examination.

A DAT scan is a very time-critical examination, since the required radioactive substance (Jod123) will be ordered and delivered just in time for your examination. We therefore request that you appear in our clinic on time on the day of examination.

A small amount of radio-labelled substance will be injected into your vein on the day of examination. This accumulates in the central brain area over a period of approx. 3 hours.

Once this deposition time has elapsed, the gamma camera with SPECT technique allows us to produce images of these brain regions. During this you will be lying on your back in a relaxed position. The examination period takes approximately 45 minutes.

The examination results are available after another 30 minutes and will be discussed with you afterwards.