Transcranial sonography in dystonia

Objectives: In idiopathic dystonia (ID) electrophysiological and functional neuroimaging studies demonstrate a disinhibition of thalamic and motor cortex neurons, pointing towards a key role of basal ganglia in the pathogenesis of ID. Transcranial ultrasound (TCS) studies were able to display changes in echogenicity in various regions of the brain in patients with Parkinson's disease and affective disorders although conventional MRI and CT usually remain normal as they do in ID. Therefore, patients with different manifestations of ID or tardive dystonia underwent TCS examinations in order to describe basal gangl…