Computed tomography in schizophrenic patients. Results from 15 patients. Review of the literature (author's transl)

The authors analyzed the scans of 15 chronic schizophrenic patients, apparently deteriorated, all of whom were long standing in-patients. They found 11 pathological cases (6 cortical atrophies and ventricular enlargement, 3 ventricular enlargement, 1 cortical atrophy, 1 cerebellar atrophy). With one exception all these atrophies were slight. The authors findings are comparable with those already reported in other studies. The article also summarizes the results of earlier studies of schizophrenics, by pneumoencephalography which are similar. Although no firm conclusions can be drawn, for such a limited sample, in particular due to the lack of any visible correlation between the pictures obtained and clinical diagnosis or prognosis, the consistent appearance of tomographic anomalies justifies continued research on these lines.