title: [Usefulness of computerized tomography in psychiatry].
abstract: Since the middle 1970s, C.T. is used to study possible cerebral morphological anomalies in psychiatric patients. In Schizophrenics: most of the studies found enlargement of ventricular volume or increase of the ventricle: brain ratio (VBR). The prevalence varied from 6 to 28% according to 2 or 1 standard deviation respectively. Some clinical researchers detected the anomaly at the first patient's admission or in young non-chronic patients. For this reason they suggest that may be a neuro-developmental process before the onset of symptoms. Others observed the same findings, in chronic patients, with out change over the time. Some authors reported more ventricular and temporal horn volume in male patients. The left temporal horn enlargement correlated with positive and negative symptoms while the right side correlated with attention impairment. The frontal horn (due to anomalies of the zone around) correlated with negative symptoms and poor treatment outcome. The third ventricle was wider in schizophrenics with persistent hallucinations and flat affect. The superficial frontal sulci and Silvian fissure were more dilated; positive psychopathology correlated with left fissure volume and negative symptoms with the right. In affective disorders: Bipolar patients had larger ventricles. Patients suffering major depression had greater cortical atrophy, neuropsychological slowness and radio-density increase of both head caudates and basal ganglia. In obsessive compulsive disorder there was decrease of the caudate nucleus volume. Psychiatrists T.C. petition studies are discussed. TC indications in psychiatry are summarized.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002452:Cell Count; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D006719:Homovanillic Acid
vernacular_title: Utilidad de la tomografía computerizada en psiquiatría.