Gait disorders of multi-infarct dementia. CT and clinical correlation.
Twenty-five patients with various types of gait disorders of multi-infarct dementia (MID) were reported. The types of gait disorders consisted of lower body parkinsonism (LBP) plus ataxia (6 patients), LBP plus apraxia (5 patients), and a combination of LBP plus ataxia and apraxia (14 patients). Hypertension occurred in 23 (92%) of the 25 patients. Nevertheless, individual stroke risk factors and the locations of infarcts were not significantly different between the subgroups. Ventriculomegaly and "leuko-araiosis" as demonstrated by computed tomography occurred in more than 80% of patients in each subgroup. Atrophy of the superior vermis was seen in 16 (80%) of 20 patients with ataxia as compared to 2 (40%) of the 5 patients without ataxia (p < 0.005). These data suggest that LBP and apraxia of MID were probably determined by the presence of ventriculomegaly or leuko-araiosis or both, and the presence of ataxic component of gait disorder most probably indicates the presence of vermian atrophy.
Thajeb
P
P
Section of Neurology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010302:Parkinson Disease, Secondary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed