Striascan

Striascan is a diagnostic medicine. It is used to detect the loss of nerve cells in an area of the brain called the striatum, specifically the cells that release dopamine, a chemical messenger. The medicine is used to help in the diagnosis of the following conditions in adults (aged 18 years or over): * movement disorders such as those in Parkinson’s disease and other related diseases, where a loss of nerve cells leads to tremor (shaking), gait disturbance (problems with the way the patient walks) and stiffness of the muscles. Because tremor can also occur in ‘essential tremor’ (tremor whose cause is unknown), Striascan can help distinguish between essential tremor and diseases related to Parkinson’s disease; * dementia (loss of intellectual function). Striascan is used to help distinguish between a type of dementia known as ‘dementia with Lewy bodies’ and Alzheimer’s disease. Striascan contains the active substance ioflupane (123I) and is a ‘generic medicine’. This means that Striascan contains the same active substance and works in the same way as a ‘reference medicine’ already authorised in the EU called DaTSCAN.