Measurement of Cranial and Brain Ventricle Volumes Relative to Pathologies

A volumetric study has been carried out using CT imaging to measure the cranial volume and correlate with the common pathologies that influencing their dimension such as brain ventricle volume and cranial volume. The study taking a sample of 150 patients referred to hospital for CT imaging version (GE - bright speed 16 slice - 2002). And according to basic protocol, spiral scanning with equal slice thickness and interval space, patient without contrast media, supine position, head first, orbito-metal line as anatomical reference, radiographic base line (RBL) perpendicular to couch, and the reconstruction of images have been carried out according to organ of interest for diagnosis. The results showed that: the incidence of pathologies that influencing the brain ventricle volumes and cranial volume was higher among male with 62% relative to 38% among female and the common pathology that influences the cranial and brain volume was the hydrocephalus taking a percent of 40.5%, mixed (hydrocephalus and tumor) represents 23%, tumors 21.5% and schizophrenia 15%. In relation to age groups, these pathologies have been peaking on age groups 1-10 years old which representing (40%) and among age groups of 55-65 years old 25%. The age was correlated with ventricle and cranial volumes in a form of linear proportional equation: (y = 0 .71x +12.12) and (y = 18.35x + 2776), where x refers to age in years and y refers volume of ventricle and cranial in cm3. In relation between cranial volumes with age among both gender: The cranial volume increases by aging among male and female up to 21-30 years old, then became semi-constant after, and the male cranial volume was 3191.7± STD114 cm3 which is greater than in female which was 3133 ± STD124 cm3 in average. While the relation between the ventricle volumes and age groups for both genders, revealed that: the brain ventricles volume increase with aging among both genders, in a relation that could be fitted in the following form: (y = 5.97x + 2075) among male and (y = 5.61x + 13.48) among female, where x refers to age in years and y refers to ventricle volume in cm3. The correlation so significant at R2 = 0.8, and the ventricles volumes of male appear greater than in female i.e. 50.6± STD17.9 for male and 41.5± STD17.3 for female. The ratio of ventriclecranial volumes have been influenced by cranial pathologies, leading to increment of ventricularcranial ration as follows: for mixed i.e. (tumorhydrocephalus) representing 0.06, hydrocephalus 0.1, tumor 0.02 and schizophrenia was 0.03 relative to normal case which was 0.01.