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What Does This CT Scan Report Indicate?

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Posted on Mon, 21 Sep 2015
Question: A CT scan of the head without contrast revealed my 86 yr old mother has mild-moderate diffuse cortical and cerebellar atrophy. No focal or acute intracranial abnormalities were seen. Her symptoms of dementia have accelerated over the past 2 years. I assume that if amyloids were present they would have shown in the scan? Or is a different test needed to determine their presence? - Is alzheimers a potential if no amyloids were detected? What else can be said about this diagnosis? - Thank You!
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Answered by Dr. Ronald Schubert (44 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Dementia is not diagnosed from scans or imaging

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns.

You mother has been showing sign of increasing dementia and a recent CT scan showed general atrophy. This is a very common thing that happens to all of us as we get older and is not indicative of dementia. The amyloid plaques seen in alzheimer's is a microscopic diagnosis and not something we see on scans. The reason for the scans is to rule out other causes of dementia like normal pressure hydrocephalus or tumors. The actual diagnosis of alzheimer's is made clinically and then after all other tests are negative. In all likelihood your mother may have alzheimer's or at her age more like age related dementia.

I hope I answered your question. Please contact HCM again with your health care concerns and questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Ronald Schubert

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1984

Answered : 2407 Questions

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What Does This CT Scan Report Indicate?

Brief Answer: Dementia is not diagnosed from scans or imaging Detailed Answer: Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns. You mother has been showing sign of increasing dementia and a recent CT scan showed general atrophy. This is a very common thing that happens to all of us as we get older and is not indicative of dementia. The amyloid plaques seen in alzheimer's is a microscopic diagnosis and not something we see on scans. The reason for the scans is to rule out other causes of dementia like normal pressure hydrocephalus or tumors. The actual diagnosis of alzheimer's is made clinically and then after all other tests are negative. In all likelihood your mother may have alzheimer's or at her age more like age related dementia. I hope I answered your question. Please contact HCM again with your health care concerns and questions