Is substantia nigra echogenicity related to the dopaminergic nigrostriatal impairment in Parkinson's disease?

Background: In vivo sonographic imaging of echogenic patterns in substantia nigra (SN) has been proposed as potential biomarker for nigrostriatal damage in Parkinson disease (PD). Aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the SN echogenicity and nigrostriatal dysfunction as assessed by dopamin transporter (DAT) imaging in patients with PD. Methods: Thirty-eight patients (aged 43–88 years) with PD underwent DAT–SPECT imaging and transcranial brain parenchyma sonography (TCS). Brain SPECT images were obtained using 123I-FP-CIT as radiotracer, and specific uptake ratios for striatal regions…