Clinical Features in Parkinson’s Disease Patients with Hyperechogenicity in Substantia Nigra: A Cross-Sectional Study

作者：Sha Zhu, Yaxi Wang, Yinyin Jiang, Ruxin Gu, Min Zhong, Xu Jiang, Bo Shen, Jun Zhu, Jun Yan, Yang Pan, Li Zhang · 发表于：Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.2147/ndt.s374370 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments、Neurological disorders and treatments、Parkinson's Disease and Spinal Disorders

Background: Transcranial ultrasound (TCS) can be used to reveal structural changes in the substantia nigra (SN) and is a potential tool for the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to explore the relationship between substantia nigra hyperechogenicity (SNH) and the clinical features of PD patients. Methods: A total of 96 PD patients were included in our study. All patients were detected by TCS and divided into two groups: PD patients with SNH (PDSN+) and those with normal SN echogenicity (PDSN-). The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn & Yahr stage were used to assess the extent of disease-related disability of the PD patients. Non-motor symptoms were evaluated by using several scales. The instrumented stand and walk test was performed on all subjects, and gait data were gathered using a JiBuEn gait analysis system. Results: Seventy-five PD patients were successfully assessed by TCS. We found that SNH was associated with a higher UPDRS II scores (p = 0.028). In addition, compared with PDSN- group, the PDSN+ group exhibited more severe gait impairment, including increased variability in stride length (p = 0.042), decreased heel strike angle (p = 0.017), decreased range of motion of hip joints (p = 0.031), and a more asymmetrical walking pattern (p = 0.028). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that SNH significantly correlated with activities of daily living and gait impairment in Chinese patients with PD, suggesting the format...