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- Nonspecific brain atrophy is a common finding on Head CT's, sometimes without any clearly articulated clinical significance for the emergency physician.
- Generally speaking, brain atrophy is the manifestation of the effects of atherosclerosis.
- Radiographically, it typically presents as widened sulci and dilated ventricles.
- In patients with vague mental status abnormalities and limited access to medical history, consider the following brain atrophy clues in your management:
-- Multiple areas of local cortical brain atrophy (wedge-shaped
appearance) suggests multi-infarct dementia.
-- Disproportionate atrophy in the frontal and temporal lobes may be a
sign of Alzheimer's Disease.