WHITE-MATTER CHANGES ON CT AND MRI - AN OVERVIEW OF VISUAL RATING-SCALES

Since the recognition of white matter changes on CT (leukoaraiosis), r ating-scales for the location and severity of white matter changes hav e been developed, mainly for research purposes, to investigate factors such as the relation with cognition, risk factors, and pathology. The main purpose of rating scales is to provide scores that can be used i n statistical analyses, The development of the NINDS-AIREN criteria fo r vascular dementia have introduced a new application for these rating scales in investigating and delineating the amount of white matter ch anges on CT/MRI sufficient to fulfill the criteria, Furthermore, in Al zheimer's disease, recognition of white matter changes may serve to de lineate homogeneous groups and help to identify patients with differen t symptomatology. We reviewed the existing rating scales for CT and MR I and judged their properties and reliability, The ideal rating scale does not yet exist, but different rating scales may serve different pu rposes, for which some recommendations are made.