Magnetic resonance and nuclear medicine imaging in ataxias

摘要: Imaging techniques including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission (SPECT), and positron (PET) have been widely applied to the investigation of patients with acute or chronic ataxias. Fundamentally, CT has a role in emergency evaluation patient ataxia ascertain brainstem cerebellar hemorrhage exclude mass lesion posterior cranial fossa. Conventional MRI is most frequently performed ataxia. It can support diagnosis cerebellitis Wernicke encephalopathy by revealing T2 signal changes typical distribution. In inherited sporadic it reveals three fundamental patterns atrophy brainstem, cerebellum, spinal cord which match gross neuropathological descriptions. These are represented olivopontocerebellar (OPCA), cortical (CCA), (SA). A substantial correspondence exists among these shown etiological classification acquired This, along demonstration characteristic some diseases, makes conventional potentially useful for diagnostic work-up patient, especially case disease. Non-conventional MR diffusion MR, spectroscopy, functional used ataxia, but their exact not established yet. They currently investigated as potential tools monitor progression neurodegeneration serve "surrogate markers" clinical trials. Several radiotracers utilized combination SPECT PET Perfusion reveal blood flow abnormalities early course cerebellitis. also investigate perfusion brain several ataxic contributing improved understanding pathophysiology conditions. Recently, tested marker" verify effects newly developed therapies variety Whole-body FDG-PET recommended suspected paraneoplastic degeneration detect primary malignancy. Brain provided important information on able assess nigrostriatal system density D2 dopamine receptors striatum increasingly adult-onset differential between multiple overt striatal found idiopathic late-onset no abnormality detected.