The stripe of primary lateral sclerosis: focal primary motor cortex hypometabolism seen on fluorodeoxyglucose F18 positron emission tomography.

BACKGROUND Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a progressive upper motor neuron neurodegenerative condition. The diagnosis is made using clinical history, objective neurological assessment, and exclusion of other neurodegenerative disorders. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of fluorodeoxyglucose F18 positron emission tomography and 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection in the diagnosis of PLS. DESIGN Case series. SETTING Outpatient neurology clinic. Patients Three cases of probable PLS. Intervention Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 positron emission tomography in 3 patients with PLS. RESULTS Three patients (2 male and 1 female; mean age, 65 years) were identified with a clinical diagnosis of PLS. Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 positron emission tomography demonstrated varying degrees of primary motor cortex hypometabolism. CONCLUSION Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 positron emission tomography and 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection provide a useful diagnostic method to support a clinical diagnosis of PLS.