Abstract
A total of 225 computed tomographic scans of children aged newborn to 15 years were reviewed. Of these, 177 were technically adequate to evaluate ventricular size as determined by the width of the frontal horns along a line drawn through the heads of the caudate nuclei (V) relative to the width of the cerebral hemispheres at the same level (H).
V/H (biventricular index) ranged from 0.063 to 0.99. Two populations were identified. One followed a normal Gaussian distribution with a mean of 0.114 ± 0.03 (S.D.); this population (90 cases) was considered radiographically normal. The other population (76 cases) was uniformly distributed from 0.190 to 0.99; in all instances these represented pathologically enlarged ventricles. There remained 11 scans of radiographically abnormal ventricles but with normal V/H. These included 3 patients with expanded subarachnoid spaces secondary to cerebral atrophy, communicating hydrocephalus, or subdural fluid collections; 5 patients with treated hydrocephalus; 2 patients with cortical hemispheric asymmetry; and 1 choreo-athetotic patient with enlarged frontal horns and basal ganglia atrophy. Age-specific categorization (0-1; 1-3; 3-5; 5-10; 10-15 years) revealed no significant differences in V/H among all age groups.
Thus, the biventricular index is a sensitive indicator of ventricular size and may aid in identification of patients with cerebral pathology which involves the ventricular system.
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Bedrick, A., Vannucci, R. 1114 FRONTAL VENTRICULAR SIZE OF THE BRAIN ON COMPUTERIZED AXIAL TOMOGRAPHY IN CHILDREN. Pediatr Res 12 (Suppl 4), 549 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-01120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197804001-01120
