the evaluation of the temporal lobe size by magnetic resonance in alzheimers disease the estimation of the size of the structures of the temporal lobe using magnetic resonance mr can be of assistance when diagnosing early degenerative dementia we have carried out a survey on 17 patients with alzheimer type dementia atd they were classified in clinical stages according to the reisberg global deterioration scale as diagnostic criteria for atd we used those developed by dsmiiir and nincdsadrda we carried out axial sequences of 10 mm thickness in protonic density and in t2 and crown sequences of 5mm in t1 perpendicular to the axis of the hypofield we selected the crown incisions at the level of the interpeduncular cistern we determined the areas of the temporal lobe hypocampus and ventricular and two linear measurements the interhypocampus distance and the maximum transverse diameter between internal layers of the craneum the images were processed by means of a computer programme the average area of both hypofields in patients at stages 35 on the reisberg scale was 3786 861 mm2 and in stages 67 was of 3647 622 mm2 the average area of both temporal lobes in patients at stages 35 was of 217703 4114 mm2 and in stages 67 was of 19450 3033 mm2 the shrinkage in size of the temporal lobe and the hypocampus in patients with alzheimers disease was not found to be related with the degree of dementia