18f-fluorodopamine

18f-fluorodopamine is a radiopharmaceutical and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracer that serves as a fluorine-18 labeled analogue of the neurotransmitter dopamine. It is specifically designed to visualize the sympathetic nervous system and neuroendocrine tissues. Mechanistically, 18f-fluorodopamine acts as a substrate for the norepinephrine transporter (NET), also known as Uptake-1, which facilitates its accumulation into the storage vesicles of sympathetic nerve endings and chromaffin cells. This targeted uptake makes it highly effective for the localization and staging of catecholamine-producing tumors, including pheochromocytomas, paragangliomas, and neuroblastomas. It is frequently compared to the conventional tracer 123I-MIBG, often demonstrating superior image resolution and sensitivity, particularly in the detection of metastatic disease.

Other names

6-18F-fluorodopamine6-fluoro-18F-dopaminefluorodopamine F 18