Computed tomographic studies were performed in patients with anorexia nervosa to confirm the observations of other authors on so-called reversible cerebral atrophy. In 21 of 23 cases a marked enlargement of the cortical sulci and the interhemispheric fissures was observed, which was reversed in a second computed tomographic study in 11 patients 4 weeks after they had reached normal weight. Psychological tests were carried out at the same time as the computed tomographic studies to correlate the changes in the brain tissue with cerebral function. Data obtained in each group of tests for both the initial and the follow-up studies were analyzed using the Student t-test. The differences were found to be statistically significant (p = 0.01 in most cases). The results indicate that anorexia nervosa is not only a psychodynamic problem, but also one in which an organic brain lesion plays an important role during the course of the illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

CT assessment of CSF spaces in the brain in demented and nondemented patients over 60 years of age.

To obtain data about the size of the third ventricle, the lateral ventricles, and the cortical sulci in dementing diseases, computed tomography was performed on 300 patients over 60 years of age. Half of these patients were demented; half were not. Measurements were made to determine the width of the third ventricle, the Huckman number, the ventricular index, and the cella media index. The largest sulci in the frontal, temporal, and parietal areas were also measured; the sum served as an approximate sulcal index. The subjects were divided into 5 year age groups. The mean values in each group were determined and compared by the Student t test. In the nondemented groups there was an increase of the width of the cortical sulci corresponding to increasing age. There was no statistical difference in the sulcal measurements of the demented and nondemented groups except in the 60-69 age groups. The third ventricle enlarged with increasing age, but the enlargement was statistically significant only in the demented group. The strongest statistical relation occurred in the lateral ventricles, which were of normal size in the nondemented group and markedly enlarged in the demented group.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Computer tomography contribution to the differential diagnosis of dementia of vascular origin (multi-infarction type) and primary degenerative dementia (Alzheimer type)].

Studies of computed tomography were performed in 367 patients diagnosed as dementia clinically. The mean age was 70.1 years. By the clinicians 240 were classified as senile dementia of Alzheimer's type, 79 as multiinfarct dementia, and 48 were not determined definitely. In 3%, the CT studies did detect treatable causes like tumors, subdural hematomas and communicating hydrocephalus. In about 57% was found by CT a diffuse brain atrophy without focal tissue changes as to expect if occurring a cerebrovascular disease. In 25% there were focal changes of the brain tissue in CT to define as residuals of infarctions in addition to the signs of cerebral atrophy. The results of the CT studies were normal in 15% despite of the evidence of dementia clinically. The analysis of the material did show that a cerebrovascular disease as a cause of dementia is suspected clinically in much more cases than CT studies are able to prove focal pathological changes of the brain tissue due to disorders of cerebral blood flow really.

Aged↗