Since 1959 a total of 235 brain atrophy cases were selected based on radiological criteria from over 6,000neurological Patients at the National Medical Center, and these cases were studied to investigate the correlation between clinical symptoms, signs or diseass and the brain atrophy.
The criteria was established by analysis of and selection from the many Previous reports, and with the author´s supplementary measurement, that is, the maximal width of the lateral ventricle body.
Based on this method, it was revealed that in general there was definite correlation between the clinical symptoms and the brain atrophy. The correlation was also observed in each symptom or sign such as aphasia, seizure, headache and affection of the extremities. It was revealed also that inalcoholism the atrophy was most frequent and diffuse and in paragonimiasis the trigons was affected most commonly among all the etiological diseases. Invascular diseases the surface atrophy was frequent, and in cryptogenic atrophy the ventricular dilatation was scarce. In all other diseases there. were also cerresponding atrophies of the brain.
The main clinical symptoms and signs of the brain atrophy were affection of the extremities (87% ),epileptic seizure (59% ), mental disorders (42%),facial paralysis (37%), headache (34%) and eye signs (30% ). These symptoms and sings appeared with some varieties in incidence in all the etiological diseases.
I.Q. score was decreased proportionally to the duration of the clinical symptoms, and the follow-up study showed poor prognosis in cases of marked atrophy and severe clinical symptoms at the time of discharge from the hospital.
In this study, however, various factors which interfere the correlation being established should be taken into consideration : tolerance of the brain tissue to pressure hydrocephalus, compensation of brain lesion by normal brain tissue, functionally silent area of the brain and biochemical alterations of the C.N.S. caused by the atrophy.
|