THE CORPUS-CALLOSUM IN COMMUNICATING AND NONCOMMUNICATING HYDROCEPHALUS

To investigate morphological changes in the corpus callosum in hydroce phalus and to correlate them with clinical findings we studied sagitta l T2-weighted cine MR images of 163 patients with hydrocephalus. The height, length and cross-sectional area of the corpus callosum were me asured and related to the type of cerebrospinal fluid now anomaly and to clinical features, especially dementia. With expansion of the later al ventricles the corpus callosum showed mainly elevation of its body and, to a lesser degree, increase in length. Upward bowing was more pr onounced in noncommunicating than in communicating hydrocephalus. Dors al impingement on the corpus callosum by the free edge of the fair cor related with the height of the corpus callosum. Cross-sectional area d id not correlate with either height, length or impingement; it was, ho wever, the strongest anatomical discriminator between demented and non demented patients. The area of the corpus callosum was significantly s maller in patients with white matter disease. Our findings suggest tha t, due to its plasticity, the corpus callosum can to some degree resis t distortion in hydrocephalus. Dementia, although statistically relate d to atrophy of the corpus callosum, is possibly more directly related to white matter disease.