title: Electroconvulsive therapy and cerebral computed tomography. A prospective study.
abstract: Cerebral computed tomography (CT) was performed before and after right-sided electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in 40 patients aged 26-87 years with major affective disorders. Nine patients with a concomitant definite or possible non-acute organic brain disorder were included. Several patients had long seizure durations, maximum 6.5 min, caused by hyperventilation-induced hypocapnia. Twenty-nine patients received at least 16 treatments (maximum 46). No CT changes occurred following ECT. A questionable dilatation of the left temporal horn in a 69-year-old hypertensive man who recovered completely without side effects after 3 ECT sessions was probably unrelated to the ECT. Provided sufficient oxygenation, even relatively long ECT series and seizures lasting several minutes do not cause any brain damage visible on CT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Bergen, Haukeland Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bergsholm
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosendahl
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Holsten
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed