The application of measurement of the width of pars compacta of substantia nigra in differential diagnosis on Parkinson's disease and vascular parkinsonism on MRI / 临床神经病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the value of measurement of the width of pars compacta of substantia nigra(SNc) and SNc's ratio to midbrain diameter in diagnosing Parkinson's disease(PD) and differentiating PD from vascular parkinsonism(VP) on routine MRI.Methods The width of SNc, midbrain diameter, and SNc's ratio to midbrain diameter were measured in 60 patients with PD (38 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅰ～Ⅱ, 14 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅲ, and 8 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅳ), 60 patients with VP (26 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅰ～Ⅱ, 20 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅲ, and 14 patients with Hoehn-Yahr stage Ⅳ), and 60 age-matched heathly control subjects by means of routine axial T 2-weighted MRI. The results of measurement were analyzed and compared.Results Significant reduction was found in the width of SNc and SNc's ratio to midbrain diameter in PD compared those in VP and control subjects(P