Background: The nigrosome-1 (N1) sign on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) typically disappears in Parkinson's disease (PD), though some patients can show uni−/bilaterally preserved N1. Objective: Investigating whether visible nigrosomes in PD patients differ from those of healthy subjects (HC). Methods: Forty-eight PD and 35 HC underwent 3 T-MR-SWI. The N1 was visually assessed, and visible N1 were segmented to calculate volume, area and susceptibility values. These metrics were investigated for distinguishing between visible nigrosomes-1 of PD patients and HC. Results: Among PD patients, 16 had bilateral N1 loss and 32 had unilaterally (n = 27) or bilaterally (n = 5) preserved N1. The visible N1 were significantly smaller in PD than in HC (P < 0.001), while having similar susceptibility values (P = 0.251). N1 area and volume showed high performance (AUC: 0.97–0.98) in distinguishing PD from HC. Conclusion: The measurement of volume and area of N1 region may complement visual assessment on SWI to optimize diagnostic performance in PD.
Quantitative Assessment of Visible Nigrosome‐1 in Patients with Parkinson's Disease
Caligiuri, Maria Eugenia;Chimento, Ilaria;De Maria, Marida;Buonocore, Jolanda;Aquila, Valerio Riccardo;Bonacci, Maria Celeste;Tinelli, Emanuele;Sabatini, Umberto;Quattrone, Aldo;Quattrone, Andrea
2026-01-01
Abstract
Background: The nigrosome-1 (N1) sign on susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) typically disappears in Parkinson's disease (PD), though some patients can show uni−/bilaterally preserved N1. Objective: Investigating whether visible nigrosomes in PD patients differ from those of healthy subjects (HC). Methods: Forty-eight PD and 35 HC underwent 3 T-MR-SWI. The N1 was visually assessed, and visible N1 were segmented to calculate volume, area and susceptibility values. These metrics were investigated for distinguishing between visible nigrosomes-1 of PD patients and HC. Results: Among PD patients, 16 had bilateral N1 loss and 32 had unilaterally (n = 27) or bilaterally (n = 5) preserved N1. The visible N1 were significantly smaller in PD than in HC (P < 0.001), while having similar susceptibility values (P = 0.251). N1 area and volume showed high performance (AUC: 0.97–0.98) in distinguishing PD from HC. Conclusion: The measurement of volume and area of N1 region may complement visual assessment on SWI to optimize diagnostic performance in PD.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
