Correlation between computerized transaxial tomography and radionuclide cisternography in dementia

A study of the findings on cisternograms and computerized transaxial tomography (CTT) of 144 patients showed good correlation between the two tests. Patients with a cisternographic pattern of communicating hydrocephalus tended to show more severe degrees of lateral ventricular dilation, with involvement of the third and fourth ventricles and relative sparing of the cerebral sulci. Patients with a cisternographic pattern of cerebral atrophy showed lesser degrees of lateral ventricular dilatation and more severe degrees of dilatation of the cerebral sulci. The statistical significance of the individual CTT findings in these patients is presented, and a cheme for interpretation is proposed. The study shows that CTT can replace pneumoencephalography in evaluating patients with dementia, while cisternography contributes complementary information.