The clinical value of computerized axial tomography in patients without focal neurological features

74 randomly selected patients with non-focal cerebral symptoms and a normal neurologic examination were referred from neurologic departments to CT scan of the brain. 29 patients had generalised epilepsy of long duration. In 26 patients (90%) with epilepsy the CT scan was normal. 2 patients (7%) had cerebral atrophy, 1 (3%) showed porencephaly (?) 41 (91%) of the patients without epileptic features had a normal CT scan. 4 (9%) presented cerebral atrophy. In this survey, CT scanning did not contribute to a focal diagnosis in patients with diffuse cerebral features.