Patients with complex cases of movement disorders could soon have access to new cutting-edge imaging technology, without having to pay a cent.
Thanks to funding from The Hospital Research Foundation Group (THRFG), researchers in South Australia have been trailing the use of 18F-Dopa PET scans for diagnosing Parkinson’s.
Results have shown that 26% of participants had a change in diagnosis following the scan, including 19% who were found not to have Parkinson’s.
And more people could soon have access, so that the correct treatments can be used and started earlier.
Public consultation recently closed on an application for the scans to be eligible for a Medicare rebate, with Government assessment now set to take place.
The application has been spearheaded by Dr Michelle Nottage, Nuclear Physician and Molecular Imaging Lead at SAHMRI.
Dr Nottage is a collaborator on the Parkinson’s Disease Imaging Biomarker Collaboration, a project trailing the use of 18F-Dopa PET scans in South Australia.
“I am hopeful that those patients who have symptoms that are not clearly from Parkinson’s or those who are not responding to standard Parkinson disease therapy will soon have access to a Medicare rebated scan,” she said.
Diagnosing Parkinson’s is not always straightforward, as the symptoms are similar across other neurological conditions.
On the other hand, there are some patients who don’t respond to traditional treatments despite already being diagnosed.
The scan works by administering patients with a drug that highlights the levels of dopamine in their brain during a PET scan, helping to give a more accurate diagnosis.
When motor symptoms first start to appear for people with Parkinson’s, 60-80% of dopamine within the striatum (in the brain) has already been lost, limiting the effectiveness of treatments.
The project has been funded by THRFG and has helped SA join Queensland and Victoria as the only states in Australia offering the scan.
