Periventricular lucency in computed tomography of hydrocephalus and cerebral atrophy.

Periventricular lucency was evaluated in the computed tomography scans of a large group of patients with hypertensive and normal pressure hydrocephalus as well as cerebral atrophy. It is confirmed that periventricular lucency is most prominent in cases of acute obstructive hydrocephalus in which the periventricular density profile pattern is often linear and steep. This linear profile is due to the disappearance of the ventricular wall as an effective barrier at the level of the superolateral angle of the frontal horn. The features of the periventricular lucency in chronic hydrocephalus (hyper- and normotensive) and cerebral atrophy are presented and discussed in detail.