Cerebral ventricular enlargement relates to neuropsychological measures in unselected AIDS patients

In a cross-sectional study of unselected Danish AIDS patients various linear measures of cerebral ventricular size obtained by computed tomography were compared with results of neuropsychological test performances. Third ventricular width as well as right and left septum-caudate distances were enlarged in the patients (P less than 0.01). Of 20 patients 15 had at least one abnormal ventricular measurement. Although only one patient was demented, ventricular size correlated inversely with neuropsychological function (r = -0.61, P less than 0.02). The correlation between ventricular size and variation of the reaction time was even closer (r = 0.74, P less than 0.01). It is concluded that neuroradiological signs of central atrophy often occur in AIDS patients.