Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in survivors of very low birth weight

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood Vol. 87; no. 4; pp. 279 - 283
• Main Authors: Abernethy, L J, Palaniappan, M, Cooke, R W I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01.10.2002; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Abnormalities; ADHD; Adolescent; Antisocial Behavior; Apraxias - pathology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - pathology; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Behavior Disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Birth Injuries - pathology; Birth weight; Birth weight, Low; Body Weight; Brain; Brain - pathology; Brain abnormalities; Brain Injuries - pathology; Brain research; CAPA; Caudate Nucleus - pathology; Cerebral Palsy; cerebrospinal fluid; child and adolescent psychiatric assessment; Children & youth; CSF; Diagnosis; Educational Attainment; Follow-Up Studies; Health aspects; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Intelligence; Intelligence Quotient; learning difficulty; Learning disabilities; Learning disorders; Learning Disorders - pathology; Learning Problems; Low birth weight; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mathematics Tests; Medical sciences; Mortality; MRI; Nervous system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Neurology; Original; Patient outcomes; Prospective Studies; Psychiatry; Research Tools; Risk factors; Self Esteem; Teaching Methods; United Kingdom; very low birth weight; Visual Acuity; VLBW; Volumetric analysis; Work stations; Workstations; Young Children; United Kingdom; Netherlands; Human; Premature; Nervous system diseases; Pregnancy disorders; Developmental disorder; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Cerebral disorder; Very low birthweight; Newborn diseases; Caudate nucleus; Attentional disorder; Dyspraxia; Learning disability; Central nervous system disease; Adolescent; Medical imagery; Hippocampus
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/adc.87.4.279

Background: Children who survive very low birth weight (VLBW) without major disability have a high prevalence of learning difficulty, attention deficit, and dyspraxia. Aims: To determine whether learning difficulty in children with VLBW is associated with structural brain abnormalities. Methods: A total of 87 children (aged 15–16 years) with a history of VLBW (<1500 g) and eight age matched full term controls have been studied with detailed magnetic resonance brain scans. Volume measurements of the caudate nuclei and hippocampal formations were made. Results: Scans in 42.5% of the children showed evidence of perinatal brain injury. There was no significant difference in IQ, dyspraxia, or attention deficit between children with qualitatively normal and abnormal scans. However, quantitative volumetric analysis showed that children with a low IQ had smaller volume measurements for the right caudate nucleus and left hippocampus, and a smaller hippocampal ratio (left volume:right volume) than those with normal IQ. Conclusion: Data suggest that learning disorder, attention deficit, and dyspraxia in children who survive VLBW do not correlate with conventional markers of perinatal brain injury, and may be related to global brain growth and the development of key structures, such as the caudate nuclei and hippocampal formations.