Transcranial sonography of the substantia nigra and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy: Complementary role in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

Transcranial sonography has become a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes. This is a non-invasive, low cost procedure. The main finding on transcranial sonography in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease is an increased echogenicity of the mesencephalic substantia nigra region. This hyperechogenicity is present in more than 90% of cases, and reflects a dysfunction in the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway. This study discussed how the hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra may facilitate the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes.

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Accuracy of Transcranial Sonography of the Substantia Nigra for Detection of Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology ◽

10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.11.010 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 628-641 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Anyu Tao ◽

Guangzhi Chen ◽

Youbin Deng ◽

Renfan Xu

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Substantia Nigra ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Transcranial Sonography

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Transcranial sonography of the substantia nigra in patients with Parkinson's disease

Journal of Neurology ◽

10.1007/s00415-007-4004-z ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 254 (S4) ◽

pp. IV15-IV20

Author(s):

Hideto Miwa ◽

Masae Okawa ◽

Yoshinori Kajimoto ◽

Tomoyoshi Kondo

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Substantia Nigra ◽

Transcranial Sonography

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Transcranial Sonography of the Substantia Nigra for the Differential Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.1155/2021/8891874 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Yan-Liang Mei ◽

Jing Yang ◽

Zheng-Rong Wu ◽

Ying Yang ◽

Yu-Ming Xu

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Substantia Nigra ◽

Movement Disorders ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Transcranial Sonography ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

China National Knowledge Infrastructure ◽

Summary Receiver Operating Characteristic

This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the accuracy of hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN) for the differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other movement disorders. We systematically searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for relevant studies published between January 2015 and May 2020. Eligible articles comparing the echogenicity of the SN between patients with PD and those with other movement disorders were screened, and two independent reviewers extracted data according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA (version 15.0) (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA), Review Manager 5.3 (Cochrane Collaboration), and Meta-DiSc1.4 to assess the pooled diagnostic value of transcranial sonography (TCS) for PD. Nine studies with a total of 1046 participants, including 669 patients with PD, were included in the final meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that hyperechogenicity of the SN had a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 (0.82, 0.87) and 0.71 (0.66, 0.75), respectively, for distinguishing idiopathic Parkinson’s disease from other movement disorders. Furthermore, the area under the curve of the summary receiver operating characteristic was 0.94. Transcranial sonography of the SN is a valuable tool for the differential diagnosis of PD and other movement disorders.

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