MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF VENTRICULAR SIZES ON NORMAL COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCANS OF ADULT BLACK ZIMBABWEANS AT A DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY CENTRE IN HARARE-A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to establish the range of the sizes for the different parts of the cerebral ventricular system. These simple measurements should be applicable to the brain Computed Tomography Scan reading without any need for advanced morphometric software package. Three hundred (150 females and 150 males) normal brain CT scans were obtained from a private Diagnostic Radiology centre in Harare for ventricular dimensions measurements (bifrontal, third ventricular and fourth ventricular dimensions). 18 hydrocephalus patients were also included in the study. A MILLENSYS DICOM Viewer Version 9® USA software program was used to measure ventricular dimensions in millimetres.

This study found an average (Mean±SE) frontal horn diameter, third ventricle width, fourth ventricle width, fourth ventricle height, Frontal Horn ratio (A/B), and the third ventricle ratio (C/D) for the sample being 31.8±0.2mm, 3.25±0.09mm, 10.6±0.1mm, 10.5±0.1, 0.313±0.002, and 0.030±0.002, respectively. Except for the fourth height which was not significantly affected by age (p=0.515), the present study showed that there was a significant difference between different age groups on all of the above measurements and ratios (p<0.01)

Criteria have been developed that are measurable, reproducible and applicable in routine diagnosis of dilated cerebral ventricles in adults. In general, the maximum frontal tips diameter greater than 48% or less than 25% corresponding plane are to be considered highly suspicious of abnormal ventricles. The overall frontal horn ratio of the eighteen hydrocephalus patients varied from 0.36 to 0.52 with an overall mean of 0.42.