[The CT image of atrophy of the head of the caudate nucleus in Huntington's chorea].
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to measure, using computed tomography (CT), the head of caudate nucleus in Huntington's disease (HD) and in controls in order to verify, whether differences in results have a diagnostic value.


RESULTS
We measured using CT (orbitomeatal line, 5 mm slices), the head of caudate nucleus are a (HCNA), bifrontal distance (BFD: maximum distance between frontal horns of lateral ventricles), bicaudate distance (BCD: minimum distance between heads of caudate nuclei) and calculated an index (BCD/BFD) in 12 HD patients (mean age 44.6 yrs (SD: 8.8), mean duration of HD 3.6 yrs (2.5), and in 18 age matched healthy controls. We found in HD patients mean HCNA 0.40 cm2 (SD: 0.12) (min. 0.14 cm2, max. 0.55 cm2), in controls 1.20 (0.1) (1.06, 1.45). Mean BFD in HD patients was 3.99 cm (0.37), (3.31, 4.48) and in controls 3.55 (0.45) (2.84, 4.76). Mean BCD in HD patients was 2.74 cm (0.44) (2.06, 3.44) and in controls 1.55 (0.50) (0.79, 2.70) and mean BCD/BFD index in HD patients 0.68 (0.06) (0.59,0.77), and in controls 0.43 (0.10) (0.25, 0.59). The group statistics revealed the significant difference between HD patients and controls: HCNA (p < 0.0001), BFD (p < 0.01), BCD (p < 0.0001) and BCD/BFD index (p < 0.0001). When dealing with individual values, only HCNA shows no overlapping of values between HD patients and controls.


CONCLUSIONS
CT linear measurement of HCNA is a simple and specific tool for the diagnosis of HD.
Roth
J
J
Neurologická klinika 1. LF UK a VFN, Praha.
Havrdová
E
E
Stiková
V
V
Bauer
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Atrofie caput nuclei caudati v CT obrazu u Huntingtonovy chorey.