Parkinson's disease: diagnostic potential of high-resolution phase difference enhanced MR imaging at 3 T.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether it is possible to diagnose patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) on an individual basis using magnetic resonance imaging with phase difference enhanced imaging (PADRE).


METHODS
PADRE delineated the crural fibres as a layer of low signal intensity and the substantia nigra as a layer of medium signal intensity in a healthy volunteer, and showed a clear boundary between the crural fibres and the substantia nigra (BCS). Twenty-four PD patients and 24 control subjects were enrolled. Contrast ratios between the substantia nigra and occipital white matter were calculated, and two radiologists independently reviewed the PADRE findings regarding BCS obscuration.


RESULTS
Mean contrast ratio in PD patients was significantly higher than in control subjects (0.56 vs 0.39, P < 0.01). The BCS on PADRE was obscured significantly more frequently in any subgroups with PD patients compared with control subjects (P < 0.01). The observation of BCS obscuration had a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the diagnosis of PD of 92 %, 88 % and 90 % for radiologist 1 and 83 %, 88 % and 85 % for radiologist 2, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
PADRE is able to identify PD in patients as a loss of delineation between the crural fibres and the substantia nigra on an individual basis.
Department of Radiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health School of Medicine, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan. kakeda@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
Shingo
S
Kakeda
Yukunori
Y
Korogi
Tetsuya
T
Yoneda
Keita
K
Watanabe
Junji
J
Moriya
Yu
Y
Murakami
Toru
T
Sato
Yasuhiro
Y
Hiai
Norihiro
N
Ohnari
Satoru
S
Ide
Kazumasa
K
Okada
Takenori
T
Uozumi
Sadatoshi
S
Tsuji
Toshinori
T
Hirai
Yasuyuki
Y
Yamashita
D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity