[Neuroradiologic and clinical correlations in asymmetric lateral ventricles and posterior cornua in pneumo-encephalograms (author's transl)].

Retrospective study of 452 out of 4155 pneumoencephalograms continuously investigated by two independent observers over 20 years. Follow-up and statistics of frequency and sex-differences of asymmetries of lateral ventricles and posterior cornua. Criteria of selection: history and clinical findings in favor of a general cerebral cause and against circumscribed changes due to local damage. Technique standardized and equal bilateral filling in pneumoencaphalography. Results of the numerous findings: 1. Posterior cornua were symmetrical in 370 patients 81.9% (256 male, 114 female, 18.1%). Definite asymmetry of posterior horns in 72 males and 10 males. 2. These asymmetries showed variations from unilateral to bilateral, but clearly different sizes of posterior horns. 3. Unilateral posterior horn "anlagen" seen in 64 (14.1%) of all patients. Males predominated 8:1, left more common than right 3.5:1. 4. Bilateral "anlagen", with one posterior horn predominating, in 18 patients (3.9%). Once more males more common 8:1. Larger "anlagen" on left: 8:1. 5. Accompanying further asymmetries of lateral ventricles with equal bilateral posterior horns were of similar size in 73.7%. In 21.1% the lateral ventricle was larger on the right, in 5.1% on the left. The left side was more common 4.15:1. 6. Large ventricles were of equal size in 45.1 of patients with asymmetry of the posterior horns, 45.1% on left, 9.7% on right the ventricle was larger. Once more the left side predominated 4.6:1. 7. Trying to correlate clinical-neurologic, neurophthalmic, neurophysiologic and tachistocopic findings with pneumoencephalograms with or without asymmetry showed no regular relation with handedness, ocular dominance, limitations of visual fields or--neglect or shapes of ventricles. In all subgroups frequency and sex-distribution corresponded to the norm. 8. Numerical frequency of coupling of right-handedness and right predominant eye with left increased size of ventricle was within the statistically expected and was, therefore, not interpreted as a sign of functional dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere, as done by others. 9. When eliciting from the occiput visually evoked potentials 8 patients showed important findings, in spite of their small number. In 3 patients with symmetrical "anlagen" of the posterior horns, latency and amplitude of potentials were the same; in 5 patients, with asymmetry of posterior horns the side of the larger horn showed significant reduction of amplitude without exception. The investigations show, quantitative statistical findings of frequency and sex-distribution and their negative correlation with examined clinical parameters apart, the anatomic-morphologic variation of asymmetry of posterior horns corresponds to a correlate which can also be shown with a neurophysiologic technique.