Periventricular lucency in hydrocephalus on computerized tomography.

The ventricular margin on computerized tomography (CT) was examined in patients with dilated ventricles. In childhood and adult hydrocephalus of various causes, periventricular lucency of several degrees was often detected in the frontal horn, when hydrocephalus had progressed to an advanced stage. Since the periventricular low density zone disappears in a short time after a shunting operation, together with a reduction of the ventricles to normal size, the lucent zone around the ventricles may represent an increase in water content in periventricular white matter. This is consistent with periventricular edema, rather than loss of lipids and proteins.