Reproducibility of brain dopamine transporter binding with Tc-99m TRODAT-1 SPECT in healthy young men

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with Tc-99m TRODAT-1 as ligand can be used to evaluate striatal dopamine transporters (DAT) in young subjects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT in DAT binding in healthy young men. Fourteen healthy young men were recruited. The test–retest studies were performed 1 week apart. Specific uptake ratios (SUR) of the striatum (ST) and its subregions, the caudate (CA) and the putamen (PU), were measured using the occipital cortex as the reference tissue. The reliability of the two measurements between test and retest, showed significant correlations for the ST, CA and PU, was demonstrated by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Thus, 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT might provide a reproducible and reliable tool in clinical management of young patients with DAT-related disorders.