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
