Application of measurement of brain iron content in patients with Parkinson's disease using susceptibility weighted MRI / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the change of brain iron content in deep gray nucleus using susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) in patients with Parkinson's diseases (PD). Methods The SWI examination was performed in 40 PD patients (10 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅰ , 9 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅱ , 9 patients with Hoehn Yahr stage Ⅲ , 6 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅳ, 6 ptients with Hoehn Yahr stage Ⅴ ) and 33 gender- and age- matched controls, after conventional brain magnetic resonance imaging examination on a 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging.The signal values of substantia nigra zona compacta (SNc), substantia nigra zona reticulate (SNr),red nucleus (RN), putamen (Pu), globus pallidus (GP) and caudate nucleus (CN) were assessed.Results Compared with the controls, the PD patients had statistically significance of signal value differences of SNc (P=0.002), SNr (P=0.043). RN (P= 0.003), Pu (P=0.023). GP (P=0.001) andCN (P=0.033). The more significant differences of SNc(P=0.001), SNr (P=0.010),RN (P＜0. 001 ), Pu (P=0. 008), GP (P＜0. 001) and CN (P=0. 011) were observed between more severe PD lesion and control. The signal values of SNc and GP showed obviously negative correlations with Hoehn-Yahr grading (SNcr=-0.943. P＜0.001; GPr=-0.923, P＜0.001). But there was weakly correlation of the signal values of SNr, RN, Pu, CN with Hoehn Yahr grading (SNr r=0. 496. P=0.001; RN r=-0. 480. P=0.002; Pu r=-0. 494, P=0.001; CN r=-0.471, P=0.002) Conclusions Measurement of the brain iron content of SNc and GP using SWI on MRI is a reliable means of diagnosing PD, and it has significant correlation with Hoehn-Yahr grading, It could evaluate the severity of PD.