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How to diagnose MSA early: the role of magnetic resonance imaging

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Summary.

The clinical differentiation between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) remains a challenge for each neurologist. The use of different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques including conventional MRI, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) and MR volumetry (MRV) offer the potential for objective criteria in the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative parkinsonism. The aim of this article is to review the role of different MRI techniques in the differential diagnosis of PD and MSA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria

    K. Seppi, G. K. Wenning & W. Poewe

  2. Department of Radiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria

    M. F. H. Schocke

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  1. K. Seppi
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  2. M. F. H. Schocke
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  3. G. K. Wenning
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  4. W. Poewe
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Seppi, K., Schocke, M., Wenning, G. et al. How to diagnose MSA early: the role of magnetic resonance imaging. J Neural Transm 112, 1625–1634 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-005-0332-2

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