Childhood psychosis and computed tomographic brain scan findings

Twenty-seven infantile autistic children, nine children with other kinds of childhood psychoses, 23 children with mental retardation, and 16 normal children were examined with computerized tomography of the brain. Gross abnormalities were seen in 26% of the autism cases. It was also estimated that about the same proportion of a total population of infantile autistic children show gross changes of CT brain scan. Abnormalities in the region of the frontal horns of the ventricular system tended to be more common in the psychosis groups than in the normal group. Clear-cut right occipital protuberation was rather common in the small group of other psychoses cases but was only marginally more common in the autism than in the normal group. Evans' ratio was significantly higher in all three abnormal groups than in the normal group.