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Brief Report

Sonographic abnormality of the substantia nigra in melanoma patients

  1. Jost-Julian Rumpf MD1,
  2. David Weise MD1,
  3. Christopher Fricke MD1,
  4. Tino Wetzig MD2,
  5. Jan-Christoph Simon MD2,
  6. Joseph Classen MD1,*

Article first published online: 31 OCT 2012

DOI: 10.1002/mds.25233

Issue

Movement Disorders

Movement Disorders

Volume 28, Issue 2, pages 219–224, February 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

Rumpf, J.-J., Weise, D., Fricke, C., Wetzig, T., Simon, J.-C. and Classen, J. (2013), Sonographic abnormality of the substantia nigra in melanoma patients. Mov. Disord., 28: 219–224. doi: 10.1002/mds.25233

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

  2. 2

    Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

*Correspondence to: Dr. Joseph Classen, Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; joseph.classen@medizin.uni-leipzig.de

  1. Relevant conflicts of interest/financial disclosures: Nothing to report.

  2. Full financial disclosures and author roles may be found in the online version of this article.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 FEB 2013
  2. Article first published online: 31 OCT 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 10 SEP 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 13 JUL 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 16 DEC 2011

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Keywords:

  • substantia nigra;
  • Parkinson's disease;
  • transcranial sonography;
  • melanoma

Background

Evidence derived from large epidemiological studies suggests an association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and malignant melanoma. Transcranial sonography of the midbrain reveals an extended echogenic substantia nigra (SN) area in a high proportion of patients with PD. This characteristic, in the context of PD, may signal degeneration of dopaminergic nigrostriatal projection neurons. Demonstration of an increased prevalence of abnormal echogenic SN in melanoma patients could add weight to the hypothesis of an underlying common pathogenic pathway of both diseases.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional observational study. Transcranial sonography of the SN region was performed on 31 patients suffering from malignant melanoma and 29 healthy participants. In addition, patients and controls were screened for motor and non-motor symptoms of PD.

Results

The echogenic SN area was abnormally extended in 42% of melanoma patients versus 7% of control subjects (χ2= 9.811, P = .002). Mean echogenic SN area (SN[R, L]) was significantly larger in melanoma patients than in controls (patients, 0.21 ± 0.07 cm2; controls, 0.15 ± 0.04 cm2 [mean ± SD]; unpaired t test, P < .001).

Conclusions

These findings provide additional evidence in favor of a common pathogenic pathway of PD and malignant melanoma and raise the possibility that their association is closer than previously assumed. © 2012 Movement Disorder Society

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