Ultrasound reliably diagnoses early-stage Parkinson’s disease

April 21, 2008 Ultrasound reliably diagnoses early-stage Parkinson’s disease Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transcranial ultrasound provides a differential diagnosis for parkinsonian syndromes before the disease progresses beyond the very first, nonspecific, clinical signs, according to a new study. Researchers conducting the study say this noninvasive and inexpensive test should become routine, as early diagnosis would allow for disease-specific treatment to start sooner. Earlier studies used transcranial ultrasound to look for increased echogenicity of the substantia nigra and thereby differentiate between idiopathic Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes. However, these studies looked at advanced cases with known clinical diagnoses, while the new study focused on early cases.

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