Phenotypic Variants of Patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a commonly observed disease among Parkinson plus syndromes, and its early and accurate diagnosis is usually not possible. PSP is currently reported to have eight different subtypes. This study aims to determine the phenotypic subtypes of PSP and reveal their accompanying characteristics.

Eighteen patients who were diagnosed as having PSP according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Society for PSP (NINDS-SPSP) criteria were included in the study. Initial symptoms of the patients, their initial diagnosis, course of the disease with time, cranial images, and predominant clinical features were assessed with regard to the subtypes of PSP.

The mean age of the patients was 65.83 years. According to the NINDS-SPSP criteria, all patients were diagnosed as having probable PSP. An evaluation of the patients with respect to the subtypes showed that five different subtypes had predominant characteristics. Richardson's syndrome was found to be the most common subtype.

Classifying PSP with regard to its phenotypes may be useful for informing clinicians about the diverse clinical presentations of PSP, thereby possibly improving the diagnostic sensitivity of the disease.