On 14 October at 15 Toomas Toomsoo will defend his doctoral thesis „Transcranial brain sonography in the Estonian cohort of Parkinson’s disease“.
Supervisors:
Professor Rector Toomas Asser, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
Professor Daniela Berg, Director of the Department of Neurology, Kieli Ülikool, Germany
Professor Pille Taba, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
Opponent:
Professor Per Odin (PhD), Head of Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.
Summary
The aim of the research carried out in Estonia was to show by transcranial brain sonography the changes in Parkinson's disease insubstantia nigra, which would help diagnose the disease. Transcranial brain sonography is an innovative method for diagnosing Parkinson's disease, which has not been studied in Estonia before.
By sonography examination of the skull, it is possible to measure the size of the substantia nigra echogenicity and confirm the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease on the basis of its asymmetry in substantia nigra hyperechogenicity. The study determined the diagnostic value of SN+ to distinguish patients from healthy ones, which is consistent with the results previously found in other countries. There was a difference between the left and right sides of the SN+ that are related to the onset of the Parkinson’s disease initial symptoms. In addition, age was the most important factor influencing the asymmetry of SN+.
The ultrasound study helps to describe the appearance of depressive symptoms in PD patients based on the occurrence of echogenicity of Raphe nuclei in the brainstem. The study showed that the transcranial brain sonography examination provides an estimate of the integrity of the Raphe nuclei and is a good method for detecting the symptoms of hidden depression.
The conducted study was the first extensive transcranial brain sonography study in Estonia confirming the diagnostic value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.