title: [Neuroimaging abnormalities in parkinsonism: study of five cases].
abstract: We report the brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging abnormalities observed at the basal ganglia system of 5 patients (2 female and 3 male), who fulfilled the criteria of parkinsonism. The onset of parkinsonian syndrome ranged from 5 to 52 years old. All patients underwent MR exams with a 1.5T MR equipment. High field T2-weighted sequences disclosed hypersignal bilateral and symmetrically located exclusively at substantia nigra (3 cases), exclusively at globus pallidus (1case) and simultaneously at substantia nigra, globus pallidus and nigro-strital interconnections (1case). For three patients, the diagnose of secondary parkinsonism was supported by clinical data: the first had the onset of the symptoms after the exposure to an herbicide (glyphosate); the second after vaccination against measles; the third after coma due to encephalitis. For the other two patients, the onset of PS was progressive, resembling a typical idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) but the findings at the MR dimissed this initial diagnose. In this study, the contribution of neuroimaging was crucial to recognize secondary parkinsonism though the ethiological agents could not be determined in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Clínica Neurológica do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Univesidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria do Desterro Leiros
authors.initials: Mdo D
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.forename: Lílian Regina
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Egberto Reis
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Luiz Alberto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Bacheschi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology