engleski

Transcranial Sonography in Movement Disorders

Neuroimaging techniques are nonspecific for basal ganglia impairment in the majority of movement disorders, therefore the diagnosis is still based on clinical examination. Recent reports show the substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity detected by transcranial sonography (TCS) to be a specific finding in Parkinson.s disease (PD). The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of TCS to help differentiate PD from essential tremor (ET) by measuring SN echogenicity. The study included 50 PD patients, 20 ET patients, and 50 healthy control subjects. The recordings were done in axial plane by a standardized protocol ; SN was displayed, encircled, measured two times, and mean value was calculated and presented in cm2. In the control, PD and ET groups, bilateral combined mean SN size was 0.17 cm2 (&#177; 0.06), 0.26 cm2 (&#177; 0.06) and 0.16 cm2 (&#177; 0.04), respectively. Our data showed a significant difference in SN echogenic size between PD and control group as well as between ET and PD group (p<0.001) but not between control and ET group (p=0.240). The measurement of SN by use of TCS was found to be a valuable tool in differentiating PD from other movement disorders. Due to the portability, noninvasiveness and easy reproducibility, TCS might help in diagnosing PD, or in the differential diagnosis of vague clinical cases.

Parkinson disease - diagnosis; Parkinson disease - ultrasonography; Substantia nigra - ultrasonography; Ultrasonography; Doppler - transcranial

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