THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINDINGS IN PNEUMOENCEPHALOGRAMS AND CLINICAL BEHAVIOR

Abstract

In order to determine what correlation exists between pneumoencephalographic and clinical behavioral findings, three independent evaluations were done with 50 patients. A radiologist and neurosurgeon each classified the roentgenograms according to the presence or absence of ventricular dilatation, abnormality of cortical marking and other abnormalities. A pediatrician did Gesell Developmental Examinations and made estimates of intellectual potential and neurologic status. There was no significant correlation of adaptive and gross motor developmental quotients with the pneumoencephalographic diagnoses. Neither was a statistically significant correlation found between the pneumoencephalographic findings and the presence or absence of mental retardation or certain neurologic abnormalities. Age at examination did not vary significantly with the clinical diagnosis but the mean age of patients with abnormal air studies was less than 1 year compared to approximately 2.5 years for those with normal pneumoencephalographic findings. It was concluded that it is not feasible to predict intellectual functioning on the basis of pneumoencephalographic findings alone, and that particular caution needs to be exercised in the roentgenographic interpretation if the child is less than 1 year old at the time of pneumoencephalography.