Characterization of Substantia Nigra in Parkinson disease using MR Imaging

Tag Alsir Altayeb Beshier Ahmed¹, Caroline Edward Ayad²*, Hussein Ahmed Hassan³, Elsafi Ahmed Abdalla² and Momen Abdou Elkhir⁴

¹Department of Radiology, Military Hospital, Khartoum-Sudan.

²College of Medical Radiological Science, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum-Sudan

³College of Medical Radiological Science, Karry University, Khartoum-Sudan.

⁴Faculty of Medical Technology, Sebha University, Morzoq- Libya.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: carolineayad@yahoo.com, carolineayad@sustech.edu; Tel:   +249183771818; Fax: +249183785215,

Mobile: +249922044764

Accepted 02 January, 2015

Abstract

Visualizing with MR imaging and obtaining quantitative indices of degeneration of the substantia nigra in Parkinson disease has been extended- required goals. We investigated the possible character of length and width measurements at T₂ weighted images in differentiating Parkinson patients from controls, duration and age-related changes. Fifty controls and forty patients with Parkinson disease were imaged in T₁ , T₂ and FLAIR weighted sequence at 1.5 Tesla. The control group consisted of 37 (74%) males and 13 (26%) females, 30 to 86 years old (mean age, 49.04±11.51 years). The group with Parkinson’s disease included 29 (72.5%) males and 11 (27.5%) females, 46 to 77 years old (mean age, 60.42±7.84 years) with a mean duration of disease of 7.8±3.5 years (range, 2 to13 years). In axial T₂ weighted MR images of the midbrain, which included the mammillary body and red nucleus, the right and left substantia nigra width and length, were measured; compared with the controls and were correlated with patients ages and disease duration. Compared with that of controls, loss of substantia nigra was evident in patients. The visible nigral length and width  were significantly smaller in patients compared with controls P=0.005 with hypointense character on T₂ weighted images. The duration of Parkinson disease has a significant impact in the nigral width reduction. T₂ weighted images may provide a convenient way to visualize nigral degeneration in Parkinson disease. New equations were established to predict the nigral width in the progression of Parkinson disease and age related changes in normal subjects.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, MRI, Substantia Nigra