Comparative Study Of Brain Iron Deposition In Patients With Essential Tremor By Susceptibility Weighted Imaging

Objective:Measure and compare iron content in deep gray matter nuclei of Essential tremor(ET)and healthy controls(HCs)by Enhanced T2*weighted angiography(ESWAN),and to evaluate its relationship with tremor severity.Materials and methods:A total of 20 patients with ET and 30 healthy controls were scanned with GE ESWAN sequence,and the ESWAN phase image was converted into QSM * image.The QSM * values of deep gray matter in subjects were measured and compared to evaluate the iron deposition in deep gray matter nuclei of ET patients.Results:No significant differences were found in the phase values within selected ROIs of the deep gray matter between the ET patient group and healthy controls.No significant correlations were found between the phase values of the deep gray matter nuclei within the tremor scores,education,cognitive scores,or the duration of illness in the corresponding patientsConclusions: The lack of iron deposition in deep gray matter nuclei of ET patients perhaps implies that neuronal loss and subsequent brain iron deposition are perhaps not pathognomonic of ET.