B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal
Midbrain-to-pons ratio in autopsy-confirmed progressive supranuclear palsy: replication in an independent cohort
Authors: Kaasinen V, Kangassalo N, Gardberg M, Isotalo J, Karhu J, Parkkola R, Sonninen P
Publisher: SPRINGER-VERLAG ITALIA SRL
Publication year: 2015
Journal: Neurological Sciences
Journal name in source: NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
Journal acronym: NEUROL SCI
Volume: 36
Issue: 7
First page : 1251
Last page: 1253
Number of pages: 3
ISSN: 1590-1874
eISSN: 1590-3478
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2184-3(external)
Recent neuropathologically confirmed clinical data suggest that the midbrain-to-pons ratio, as calculated from conventional brain MRI, has high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Here, we aimed to replicate these findings in an independent autopsy-confirmed cohort of 6 PSP patients and 23 non-PSP patients. Patients with confirmed PSP had clearly lower midbrain-to-pons ratios compared to non-PSP patients (p < 0.0001). All non-PSP patients had midbrain-to-pons ratios higher than 0.50, whereas all but one PSP patient had a ratio lower than 0.50. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the ratio (< 0.50) was 100% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 95.8 %. The results of this second autopsy-confirmed sample confirm that midbrain-to-brain ratios constitute reliable and clinically useful estimates of diagnostic midbrain atrophy in relation to PSP pathology.