Cerebral atrophy in infants with protein energy malnutrition.

Central nervous system manifestations are common in infants suffering from protein energy malnutrition. Computed tomography was used to search for pathology in the brain that might explain these symptoms. Subjects were 40 infants with protein malnutrition. All had mental symptoms. The bifrontal index was taken as the best parameter for measuring central atrophy, and the width of the sylvian fissure was used as the parameter for cortical atrophy. Ventricular dilatation and widened sylvian fissure of various degrees were found in every patient. The severity of atrophy correlated with the duration of the illness.