Transcranial sonography depicts a larger substantia nigra echogenic area in renal transplant patients on calcineurin inhibitors than on rapamycin

Table 2 Comparison of data obtained from controls (n = 20), calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs, n = 73) and rapamycin (mTOR, n = 22) groups

Variable	Controls	CNI	mTOR	P
Age, years	43.05 ± 12.27	50.21 ± 14.26	52.77 ± 11.45	0.054
BMI, kg/m²	25.92 ± 3.60	25.11 ± 4.58	25.18 ± 4.84	0.389
Serum creatinine, mg/dL	0.83 ± 0.11	2.35 ± 1.66^a	2.16 ± 1.14^a	< 0.001
Transplant duration, days	-	3562 ± 2535^b	5732 ± 3345	0.004
Dialysis vintage, mo	-	51.14 ± 48.26	53.91 ± 44.23	0.688
Mesencephalon area, cm²	2.92 ± 0.35	2.75 ± 0.45	2.80 ± 0.54	0.196
SN echogenic area, cm²	0.21 ± 0.07	0.31 ± 0.15^{a, b}	0.23 ± 0.12	0.002
3^rd V, mm	2.62 ± 1.35	4.26 ± 2.07^a	4.50 ± 2.05^a	< 0.001
cIMT, mm	0.55 ± 0.12	0.63 ± 0.14	0.65 ± 0.17^a	0.040
MCA RI	0.52 ± 0.04	0.55 ± 0.09	0.56 ± 0.09	0.539
Kidney RI	0.60 ± 0.06	0.71 ± 0.09^a	0.71 ± 0.08^a	< 0.001
Spleen RI	0.54 ± 0.06	0.57 ± 0.09	0.55 ± 0.07	0.355
Spleen size, mm	102.62 ± 11.72	107.36 ± 21.47^b	93.87 ± 20.07	0.026

The mean differences among the three groups were assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, and Bonferroni post hoc tests were used to determine the differences between particular pairs of groups. The Mann–Whitney test was used in the case of only two groups
BMI Body Mass Index, SN Substantia Nigra, 3^rd V Third Ventricle width, cIMT carotid Intima-Media Thickness, MCA Middle Cerebral Artery, RI Doppler Resistive Index
^avs Controls
^bvs Rapamycin

ISSN: 1471-2369