← Return to DAT scan for Parkinsons disease usefulness and cost

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Profile picture for emmit @emmit

I’m brand new to this forum and brand new to Possible PD. Does anyone have experience or knowledge of understanding dat scans? The shape of the cells is good but the inside color is very different what does that mean ?

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Replies to "I’m brand new to this forum and brand new to Possible PD. Does anyone have experience..."

Hi @emmit - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Wondering if you can give some background on why your doctor decided to do the DAT scan, so members here can have some context for your situation?

Here is what Mayo Clinic says about DAT scans: A specific single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scan called a dopamine transporter (DAT) scan. This can help support the suspicion that you have Parkinson's disease and help identify different types of tremor. But it is your symptoms and the results of your neurological exam that determine your diagnosis. Most people do not require a DAT scan.

This is taken from Parkinson's disease https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376062

I have found it helpful to have a doctor phone me or meet with me to review any scans, as my personal understanding of results online is limited. When my doctor found something they thought was a polyp removed at my first colonoscopy was actually a neuroendocrine tumor, her interpretation of the information plus her perspective on its implications were invaluable.

Has your doctor met with you in person or by phone to discuss the results of the scan and to answer your questions? If he or she already did so, might you send them a portal message with your additional questions, since they know your case and your scan results?