Results of computer tomography on chronic alcoholics

Sixty adult patients with chronic alcoholism were examined by CT. Psychiatric and neurologic syndromes were given equal consideration. Pronounced brain atrophy was found in 75% of the cases. Cortical, as opposed to subcortical, atrophy was apparent in 64%; it was found especially in the frontotemporal region and cerebellum. Cases of Wernicke's encephalopathy as well as epileptic manifestations revealed global signs of atrophy, not restricted to the brain stem. Further correlations to problems of mental deficiency in alcoholism are discussed together with earlier results.