title: Multiple system atrophy. Clinical and MR observations on 42 cases.
abstract: Probable or possible multiple system atrophy (MSA) was diagnosed on strict clinical criteria in 42 patients: 20 with combined parkinsonism and cerebellar ataxia, 9 with striatonigral degeneration (SND) and 13 with olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA). All patients were then studied with 0.5 and/or 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) units. MR imaged putaminal abnormalities in all 9 patients with SND and posterior fossa abnormalities consistent with OPCA in all 13 patients with this diagnosis. Of the 20 patients with parkinsonism and cerebellar involvement, classified as probable MSA, 7 presented putaminal abnormalities only, 3 abnormalities consistent with OPCA only and 10 a combination of both. These findings show strong MRI support for the clinical diagnosis of MSA.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Neurologia, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico C. Besta, Milano.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Savoiardo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fetoni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Strada
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palazzini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertulezzi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Girotti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D003342:Corpus Striatum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009849:Olivopontocerebellar Atrophies / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012791:Shy-Drager Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013378:Substantia Nigra