A computed tomography study of Alzheimer's disease.

Computed tomography (CT) was used to study cerebral atrophy in 18 patients with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease of presenile type and in 14 healthy age-matched subjects as controls. Using the computerized planimetric method, Subarachnoid Space Volume Index and Ventricle Volume Index were calculated as the measure of cortical atrophy and ventricular dilatation respectively. From the results the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The cerebral atrophy in Alzheimer patients could be attributable to the disease processes rather than to physiological aging of the brain. 2. The degree of atrophy increases in parallel with the progress of the clinical stage, and the cortical atrophy is already apparent at an early stage, whereas the ventricular dilatation becomes pronounced at later stages. 3. CT could be one of the most useful clinical tests available for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.