Correlative Assay of Computerized Cranial Tomography (CCT), Water Content and Specific Gravity in Normal and Pathological Postmortem Brain

An assay of water content and specific gravity in normal and pathological autopsy brain has been correlated with CCT attenuation values obtained just prior to brain cutting. Formalin fixation does not alter normal values so that fixed brain appears to be suitable for this type of study. Low attenuation values in CCT correlate better with changes in specific gravity, rather than water in infarcts, but they have a close relationship to water content in edema. The high water content in infarcts of the white matter reveals a striking disparity in fluid control between cortex and white matter, which has not been emphasized in experimental studies. Water movement within and around blood clots has been discussed.