Computertomography and vascular (multiinfarct) dementia: a qualitative and quantitative investigation

In a qualitative approach it was shown in 204 patients with ischaemic stroke that Computertomography is significantly more often normal and atrophy more seldom in the demented patients. In addition the importance of a bilateral distribution of infarcts in the demented group was shown as well as the more common affection of the thalamus in the demented patients as compared with the non demented group. The quantitative approach was performed with measurements of the width of the 3rd ventricle, the Huckmann, the ventricle, the cella media index as well as the calculation of an index brain/CSF density. Here the importance of total loss of substance - atrophy and infarcts - was evident, explaining why measurements of the ventricle dimensions only - apart from the distribution of infarcts - were not always relevant.