Computed Tomography Findings in Delirium

Computerized tomography of the head was carried out on 69 elderly patients who met the DSM-III criteria for delirium and 31 neurological controls in order to evaluate the focal changes and generalized brain atrophy associated with delirium. Neither the difference between the mean ages nor the sex distribution in these groups was statistically significant. The delirious patients differed from the controls significantly in ventricular dilatation and cortical atrophy, and there was a statistically significant correlation between the width of the sylvian fissure and Mini-Mental State Examination score. Focal changes were also statistically more common in the delirious patients, and these changes tended to concentrate in the high-order association areas of the right hemisphere. Results suggest a marked predisposing role for the structural brain diseases (primary degenerative and multi-infarct type dementias, parkinsonism) in the development of delirium in elderly patients.