Hyperechogenicity of the Substantia Nigra in Parkinson’s Disease: Insights from Two Brothers with Markedly Different Disease Durations

Julie M. Hall; Matthew J. Georgiades; Deborah A. Hammond; Xiaoting Feng; Ahmed A. Moustafa; Simon J. G. Lewis; Gabrielle Todd

doi:10.1155/2017/3673159

Case Reports in Neurological Medicine (Jan 2017)

Hyperechogenicity of the Substantia Nigra in Parkinson’s Disease: Insights from Two Brothers with Markedly Different Disease Durations

Julie M. Hall,
Matthew J. Georgiades,
Deborah A. Hammond,
Xiaoting Feng,
Ahmed A. Moustafa,
Simon J. G. Lewis,
Gabrielle Todd

Affiliations

Julie M. Hall: Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 100 Church St, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
Matthew J. Georgiades: Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 100 Church St, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
Deborah A. Hammond: Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 100 Church St, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
Xiaoting Feng: Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 100 Church St, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
Ahmed A. Moustafa: School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Horsley Road & Bullecourt Road, Milperra, NSW 2214, Australia
Simon J. G. Lewis: Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 100 Church St, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
Gabrielle Todd: School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences and Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, P.O. Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3673159
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 2017

Abstract

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We present clinical features and substantia nigra morphology for two brothers with Parkinson’s disease (PD) aged 60 and 59 years. The brothers were diagnosed at 41 and 50 years of age, respectively. Both patients exhibited an abnormally large area of substantia nigra echogenicity bilaterally when viewed with transcranial ultrasound. The abnormality was similar in both brothers despite one having a much longer disease duration than the other. These findings further highlight that transcranial ultrasound is not associated with severity of clinical symptoms, but it might assist in the diagnosis of PD provided that it is combined with other variables known to precede PD.

Published in Case Reports in Neurological Medicine

ISSN: 2090-6668 (Print); 2090-6676 (Online)
Publisher: Wiley
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry: Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Website: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1350

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