Gait disorders of multi-infarct dementia. CT and clinical correlation.

Abstract

Twenty-five patients with various types of gait disorders of multi-infarct dementia (MID) were reported. The types of gait disorders consisted of lower body parkinsonism (LBP) plus ataxia (6 patients), LBP plus apraxia (5 patients), and a combination of LBP plus ataxia and apraxia (14 patients). Hypertension occurred in 23 (92%) of the 25 patients. Nevertheless, individual stroke risk factors and the locations of infarcts were not significantly different between the subgroups. Ventriculomegaly and "leuko-araiosis" as demonstrated by computed tomography occurred in more than 80% of patients in each subgroup. Atrophy of the superior vermis was seen in 16 (80%) of 20 patients with ataxia as compared to 2 (40%) of the 5 patients without ataxia (p < 0.005). These data suggest that LBP and apraxia of MID were probably determined by the presence of ventriculomegaly or leuko-araiosis or both, and the presence of ataxic component of gait disorder most probably indicates the presence of vermian atrophy.