ISSN 2326-7275
International Journal of Anatomy and Physiology ISSN 2326-7275 Vol. 13 (3), pp. 001-009, March, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Innovative stereological method for schizophrenia assessment via CT imaging: Analyzing ventricle-to-brain volume ratio
Gul Guven1, Bunyamin Sahin2, Gokay Aksaray3, Hilmi Ozden1*, Gonul Baylan3, Baki Adapinar4, Eyyup Gulbandilar5 and Ertugrul Colak6
1Department of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
2Department of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
3Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
4Department of Radiology, Medical Faculty, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
5Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Dumlupinar University, Kutahya, Turkey.
6Department of Biostatistics, Medical Faculty, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
Accepted 21 November, 2023
Abstract
There are several studies that have proposed different criteria for evaluating the volumes of the cerebral hemispheres, the lateral and third ventricles in patients with schizophrenia seen on routine computed tomography (CT) images. These approaches use solely the volume of the cerebrum and/or lateral ventricles, length and width measurements of the ventricles, and ventricle to brain ratio (VBR). In the present study, we proposed a new unbiased approach namely ventricle to brain volume fraction (VBF). CT scans of 23 patients with schizophrenia and 23 matched controls were blindly assessed by three independent observers. VBF, total brain volume and ventricle volumes were calculated and compared. The subjects with schizophrenia showed higher VBF than the control subjects (P = 0.000) with mean (±SEM) VBF values of 2.71±0.16 and 1.62±0.10%, respectively. No gender difference was found. Older subjects had a higher VBF than those younger in controls but not patients. Correlation was observed for VBF estimations made by three independent observers (r = 0.979; P = 0.000). The studies measuring VBR on schizophrenia revealed inconsistent findings. Comparing solely the brain volumes or ventricle volumes between two groups, instead of using volume fraction method, will not provide reliable data. VBF described here easily could be used for the analysis of the brain structures of schizophrenia using standard CT scans not requiring any additional expense. In addition; evaluation of the whole section series gives real ventricular and cerebral volumes.
Key words: Cavalieri method, computed tomography (CT), schizophrenia.