Transcranial Brain Sonography Findings in Discriminating Between Parkinsonism and Idiopathic Parkinson Disease

Abstract

Idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian syndromes such as the parkinsonian variant of multiple-system atrophy (MSA-P) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) differ in their prognosis and treatment options but may be difficult to differentiate clinically, especially in the early course of the disease.^1,2 Also, levodopa sensitivity is not always conclusive in differentiating these diseases. Sophisticated neuroimaging methods such as routine magnetic resonance imaging, single-photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography may help to discriminate between PD and atypical parkinsonian syndromes. Despite the high technical demands and costs of these techniques, sensitivity and specificity are not sufficiently high.^3,4