[Periventricular attenuation of the density of cerebral hemisphere white matter in computerized tomography of neuropsychiatric patients in the 2d half of life. Diagnostic significance and pathogenesis].

The images of cranial computed tomographies on 7.921 patients aging between 50 and 98 years were analyzed retrospectively concerning the occurrence of WMLA. 3.344 patients were suffering from psychogeriatric disorders (organic brain syndrome, dementia, depressive or delusional psychoses). Neurological diagnoses (stroke, TIA, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, space occupying lesions, seizures, cerebral trauma, vertigo, chronic headache) occurred in 4.577 patients. WMLA was established in 761 cases. The combination of WMLA with cerebral atrophies, with single or multiple infarcts and with both infarcts and atrophy will be demonstrated within 4 groups: 1. organic brain syndrome and dementia, 2. depression and delusional states, 3. stroke and TIA, 4. other neurological diagnoses. In group one the combination of WMLA with atrophy and infarcts is the most common finding in CT. In group two WMLA without atrophies and infarcts are the main tissue changes in CT. Group three is marked mainly by the occurrence of recent infarcts together with WMLA. In group four again WMLA only, in some cases together with multiple infarcts, do occur mainly. Compared to the cases without WMLA in each group WMLA is seen in cases with organic brain syndromes and dementias three to five times more than in the other diagnostic groups. WMLA in computed tomography seems to be a common finding in patients and healthy individuals of old age. Therefore the diagnostic and differential diagnostic significance for brain diseases in old age is limited. Nevertheless in the field of psychogeriatric disorders it may be possess a certain value to understand the nature of such diseases. This value will be discussed and demonstrated considering the pathogenesis of WMLA on the basis of neuropathological results.