A Study of Brain MRI Findings in CKD Patients with and without Parkinsonism

Abstract Introduction CKD patients are believed to develop parkinsonism more than the general population. Early diagnosis and management play a crucial role in the potential reversibility of the disease symptoms. Identifying imaging abnormalities in these patients can aid in the timely diagnosis. Methods and Materials This study categorized 28 individuals with CKD into two groups, nine patients showing signs of parkinsonism and a control group of nineteen patients without. All participants underwent non-contrast brain MRI scans, including T1, T2, DWI, and FLAIR sequences. We examined the presence or absence of brain MRI findings. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS-24 and STATA for statistical analysis. Results Nine patients exhibited parkinsonism signs, while nineteen did not. In the brain MRI, putamen hypointensity was observed in six patients with parkinsonism signs (66.7%) and seven without (36.8%) (p = 0.139). Globus pallidus hypointensity was found in five patients with parkinsonism (55.6%) and seven without (36.8%) (p = 0.35). Cerebellar dentate nucleus hypointensity was identified in one patient with parkinsonism symptoms (11.1%) and one without (5.3%) (p = 0.575). Cerebral atrophy was present in six patients with parkinsonism symptoms (66.7%) and nine without (47.4%) (p = 0.339). CSVD was observed in eight patients with parkinsonism symptoms (88.9%) and seventeen without (89.5%) (p = 0.963). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of patients regarding diabetes (p = 0.9), HTN (p = 0.689), and history of dialysis (p = 0.7). Conclusion Brain MRI findings in patients with parkinsonism symptoms were more varied compared to the control group. The relationship between brain MRI changes in CKD patients with parkinsonism symptoms and those without was insignificant. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Also, the duration of CKD was significantly associated with parkinsonism signs.