Brain computed tomography in morbid obesity before and after gastric restriction surgery: a prospective quantitative study.
Linear brain parameters were measured by CT in 19 patients with morbid obesity (mean weight 126.4 +/- 20.5 kg) and 20 age and sex matched normal weight subjects (mean weight 62.6 +/- 14.9 kg). Ventricular parameters were slightly smaller and cortical parameters were slightly larger in the preoperative obese than in control subjects. However, only the four cortical sulci ratio was significantly different in the two groups (P = 0.02). After gastric restriction surgery and drastic weight loss (mean postoperative weight 82.9 +/- 27.4 kg), all the ventricular and cortical parameters increased, with significant change in the frontal interhemispheric fissure ratio (P less than 0.05). Obese patients followed for 23 months after surgery had less striking changes than those followed for 6 months. Morbidly obese subjects have altered brain CT dimensions which are partly reversible after weight correction.
Department of Neurology, Soroka Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba, Israel.
V M
VM
Berginer
H
H
Solomon
M
M
Hirsch
J
J
Berginer
S
S
Weitzman
L
L
Friedman
I
I
Charuzi
D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D013270:Stomach / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed