title: Substantia nigra echogenicity is normal in non-extrapyramidal cerebral disorders but increased in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Transcranial sonography (TCS) revealed substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). To further evaluate specificity of this finding, we examined 30 IPD patients and 30 age-matched subjects with non-extrapyramidal cerebral disorders (NED). All IPD patients showed a SN hyperechogenicity, in 17 it was bilateral and in 13 unilateral. 7 NED patients had a SN hyperechogenicity, in all it was unilateral, confirming previous results in healthy subjects. Bilateral SN hyperechogenicity indicates IPD and normal SN echogenicity indicates NED. In 30% of patients TCS does not distinguish between IPD and NED. Data further support the assumption that bilateral SN hyperechogenicity is specific for IPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rostock University, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wittstock
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benecke
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dressler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D020542:Third Ventricle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial