Fluorodopa, also known as FDOPA, is a fluorinated form of L-DOPA primarily synthesized as its fluorine-18 isotopologue for use as a radiotracer in positron emission tomography (PET).
[1] The most common side effects are injection site pain.
[2] Fluorodopa is indicated for use in positron emission tomography (PET) to visualize dopaminergic nerve terminals in the striatum for the evaluation of adults with suspected Parkinsonian syndromes (PS).
[2] In October 2019, Fluorodopa was approved in the United States for the visual detection of certain nerve cells in adult patients with suspected Parkinsonian Syndromes (PS).
[3][4] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Fluorodopa F 18 based on evidence from one clinical trial of 56 patients with suspected PS.