Magnetic resonance imaging-based hippocampal volumetry in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type

A volumetric magnetic resonance imaging assessment of the hippocampal regio n was done in 50 patients with Alzheimer-type dementia and 25 members of a control group. There were no significant volumetric differences between the right and left hippocampi. The volumetric hippocampal measurements were 39 .4% smaller in dementia of the Alzheimer type than in controls. In the diff erentiation between the analyzed groups of patients, the method had a sensi tivity of 95% and a specificity of 92%. A correlation of the hippocampal vo lumes with the severity of the dementia and the patient's age was found. Th e results confirmed the importance of hippocampal atrophy in the etiology o f dementia. In vivo the quantitative assessment of the hippocampal formatio n is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.