Abstract:Objective To investigate the role of T2* value in diagnosing idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) and identifying different subtypes of movement disorder. Methods A total of 122 patients with IPD and 122 control subjects with matched age and gender, were scanned with routine sequences and ESWAN sequences. T2* value was measured in both sides of frontal white matter (FWM), red nucleus (RN), substantia nigra pars reticulate (SNr), substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), putamen (PUT), globus pallidus (GP), head of caudate nucleus (CN) and thalamus (THA), and statistically analyzed. Results The T2* values of RN and SNc differed significantly between the postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD)-dominant IPD patients and the control group (P < 0.05);the T2* values of RN, SNr, PUT, GP and THA were significantly different between the PIGD-dominant IPD and the mixed subtype IPD (P < 0.05); the T2* value of THA was significantly different when the PICD-dominant IPD was compared with the tremor-dominant IPD (P < 0.05); and the T2* values of SNr and PUT were significantly different when the tremor-dominant IPD was compared with the mixed subtype IPD (P < 0.05). Conclusions The T2* value helps to diagnose IPD and distinguish different subtypes of movement disorder.