Assessment of craniocerebral asymmetries in children by computed tomography

Computed tomographic (CT) scans of 32 children (mean age 2.8 +/- 2.5 years) with a wide range of craniocerebral asymmetry (CCA) were analyzed. Hemiparesis and epilepsy were the main clinical presentations. Two-thirds of the patients had brain infarcts. The degree of cerebral and ventricular asymmetry was evaluated by ratios obtained by linear measurements. The patients were divided into two groups according to the index of maximal asymmetry. The incidence of hemiparesis and the width of the cerebral ventricles did not differ in the two groups. This may be due to the fact that most of our patients suffered from perinatal insult to the brain, allowing time for remodeling and plastic changes to occur. The use of measurable structural parameters in craniocerebral asymmetry offers a basis for comparable radiological assessment.