Linear T2 hyperintensity along the medial margin of the globus pallidus in patients with Machado-Joseph disease and Parkinson disease, and in healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND AND
PURPOSE: Linear hyperintensity along the medial margin of the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) on T2-weighted images from patients with Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) was recently reported. In this study, we aimed to compare the prevalence of this linear hyperintensity between patients with MJD and patients with Parkinson disease, and in control subjects.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We report the prevalence of linear hyperintensity along the GPi in 10 consecutive patients with MJD, 38 with Parkinson disease (PD), and 25 control subjects. We evaluated the prevalence of linear hyperintensities on T2-weighted axial images in these groups, and in nearly age-matched subjects younger than 60 years. We performed statistical analysis using the chi(2) test and Fisher exact test to compare the prevalence of the hyperintensity in each group.
RESULTS: The prevalence of the linear hyperintensity in patients with MJD was significantly higher than that in patients with PD and in control subjects (P = .014 and .006, respectively). In subjects younger than 60 years, the prevalence of the hyperintensity in patients with MJD was significantly higher than that in patients with PD and control subjects (P = .011 and P < .001, respectively). In the control subjects, the linear hyperintensity tended to be greater in subjects older than 60 years (8/14 [57%] patients) than in subjects younger than 60 years (2/11 [18%] patients; P = .058). In patients with PD, the prevalence did not differ between patients older than 60 years and patients younger than 60 years.
CONCLUSION: Linear hyperintensity along the globus pallidus is frequently found in patients with MJD, but it can be also found in patients with PD and in control subjects, probably because of the normal aging process.