Magnetic Resonance Imaging Based Volumetry of the Basal Ganglia and Substantia Nigra in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Aim:To explore the value of MRI based volumetry in estimating the volumes of the caudate,putamen,globus pallidus,substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods:The volumetric measurements of the total brain volume,caudate,putamen,globus pallidus,substantia nigra in PD patients and the controls were performed on a 3.0T MR scanner. The patients underwent the assessment of the sub scale Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅴ of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS).Correlation analysis was made between the volumetric measurements and UPDRS assessment.Results:Compared to controls,the early stage PD patients and late stage PD patients had smaller volume of the putamen which decreased respectively 12.5%(P=0.004) and 26.5%(P0.001). The late stage PD patients had even smaller volume of the putamen 16%(P=0.002) than the early stage ones. The volume of the globus palldus in the late stage PD patients decreased 19.2%(P=0.023),compared to controls. The volume of the putamen of PD patients was negatively correlated with the HY range(r=-0.741,P0.001). Conclusion:The MRI based volumetry is a reliable method in the assessment of the morphological changes of the basal ganglia and substantia nigra in PD patients. This method provides an imaging predictive marker in the diagnosis of PD.