title: Computerized tomography measures of brain slice area and ventricular sizes in protein energy malnutrition: a preliminary study.
abstract: The brain tissues of thirty-eight Nigerian children suffering from severe protein energy malnutrition (PEM) were evaluated within 24 hours of admission by computerized tomography. The brain slice area (B.S.A.) in marasmus (10474 +/- 1270) is significantly smaller than those of marasmic-kwashiokor (10940 +/- 1284) and kwashiokor (11866 +/- 669). Similarly also the BSA of the three clinical types were smaller than those of the control (13134 +/- 1199), (P < 001). There was poor correlation of brain slice area and other parameters measured with age, but a significantly higher (mean) brain slice area was noticed in the males (11910.82) than the females (10971.67) P < 0001, in both patients and control. Marasmic-Kwashiokor showed marked feature of cerebral shrinkage compared with the other categories of PEM in all the parameters measured.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiography and Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Adeyinka
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Akinyinka
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Falade
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology*; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed