Parkinson

Prerequisite for successful therapy

Clinical diagnostics

Because the onset of Parkinson’s disease is often characterised by unspecific complaints, diagnosis requires an extensive clinical and neurological examination and follow-up as well as a detailed anamnesis, if possible with the participation of relatives.

Using the latest examination techniques, an exact clinical classification of the different Parkinson syndromes can be made. Alongside standard neurological tests, specific diagnostic procedures are carried out to examine fine motor skills and to distinguish between the different forms of tremor (manual dexterity test, tremor analysis).

• Transcranial ultrasound (nigra sonography),
• smell tests and
• sleep laboratory (polysomnography)

are further non-invasive methods of treatment which have proven successful in the early and differential diagnosis of Parkinson syndromes. Neuropsychiatric tests and cognitive examinations are also available.

Additional tests include

• posturography (to assess startle and postural reflexes),
• Doppler sonographies to assess peripheral and central circulation, and
• internal diagnosis with ECG and long-term blood pressure measurement.

Modern imaging techniques such as computer and nuclear spin resonance tomography as well as SPECT and PET examinations are carried out externally if required.

Standard neurological diagnosis

Standard neurological diagnosis includes EEG (which measures brain wave curves) examination of sensory and motor nerve tracts (nerve conduction velocity, somatosensory evoked responses, magnetically evoked responses) and the examination of cerebral nerves (AER, VER).