Computerized tomography for diagnosis of supratentorial tumors.

The brains of 1851 patients were examined with 160 X 160 matrix computed tomography (CT) during a period of nine months. The CT patterns of 90 supratentorial tumors (excluding sellar tumors) were reviewed. A great variety of CT patterns were found with glioblastomas, the most typical being a tumor with mixed absorption values. Astrocytomas appeared as low-density lesions. The characteristic appearance for meningiomas was a homogeneous density, with an obvious increase in density after contrast injection. Metastases appeared as low- or high-density lesions with marked edema surrounding the tumor. Some minor groups such as craniopharyngiomas, epidermoid tumors and pineal tumors were described. The lesion was detected in 94% and a correct diagnosis was made in 92% of cases.