F-DOPA PET/CT
18F-DOPA≈ 20 min on the scannerAdvanced molecular study
In simple words
F-DOPA is a tagged version of the amino acid your body uses to make dopamine. Tumour cells and certain nerve cells take it up far more avidly than the tissue around them. In the brain that matters enormously: normal brain burns so much sugar that ordinary FDG scans are nearly useless there, whereas F-DOPA shows tumour against an almost blank background.
Questions this scan answers
- Is this brain lesion live tumour or treatment-related change?
- Is the tremor Parkinson's disease, or something that mimics it?
- Where is the neuroendocrine tumour that other scans cannot find?
The Prismaa difference
F-DOPA is available at very few centres in India. Combined with digital detector resolution, it makes the difference between grading a glioma confidently and reporting an equivocal study.
Usually recommended for
- Glioma grading, and telling recurrence from radiation necrosis
- Parkinsonian syndromes and other movement disorders
- Neuroendocrine tumours, phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma
- Congenital hyperinsulinism in children
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma with rising calcitonin
How to prepare
- Fast for 4–6 hours. Plain water is allowed.
- Avoid foods rich in protein on the morning of the scan.
- Tell us about levodopa, carbidopa and any Parkinson's medication — timing may need adjusting.
- Tracer is produced to order, so booking needs a few days' notice.
Book this scan, or ask us whether it is the right one
We are happy to discuss the request with your treating doctor before you commit to an appointment.