Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1999, 188 (2)

Correlation between Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinical Profiles of Periventricular Leukomalacia

SHINJI FUJIMOTO,1,2 HAJIME TOGARI,1 TATSUO BANNO,3 SACHIO TAKASHIMA,4 MASAHISA FUNATO,5 HIROSHI YOSHIOKA,6 SATOSHI IBARA,7 MASARU TATSUNO8 and KAZUHIRO HASHIMOTO9

1Departments of Pediatrics, 2Laboratory Medicine and 3Radiology, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya 467-8601, 4Department of Mental Retardation and Birth Defect Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, Kodaira 187-8502, 5Department of Pediatrics, Yodogawa Christian Hospital, Osaka 533-0032, 6Department of Pediatrics, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-0841, 7Perinatal Medical Center, Kagoshima City Hospital, Kagoshima 892-8580, 8Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Showa University, Tokyo 142-8555, and 9Division of Neonatology, Matsudo City Hospital, Matsudo 271-0064

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of 70 children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), examined between 1 year 2 months and 8 years of age (mean: 2 years 4 months of age), were analysed. Neurological assessments were made between 1 year 3 months and 15 years (mean: 4 years 9 months). The possible correlations between MRI findings and clinical profiles of PVL were investigated using three parameters of the MRI findings. The grade of ventriculomegaly correlated well with the severity of cerebral palsy (CP) but not with the severity of mental impairment. The grade of reduction of periventricular white matter correlated well with the severity of CP and mental impairment, and is the most reliable parameter for neurological prognosis. The degree of periventricular hyperintensity on T2-weighted images did not correlate well with severity of CP, but correlated to some degree with mental impairment. There was a significantly lower degree of periventricular hyperintensity in children at less than 28 weeks of gestation than at 28 or more weeks of gestation, but no significant difference in other parameters. The periventricular hyperintensity should be evaluated in view of the gestational age.
    Key words--- periventricular leukomalacia; magnetic resonance imaging; preterm infant; cerebral palsy; mental retardation
    © 1999 Tohoku University Medical Press

    Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1999, 188, 143-151
    Address for reprints: Shinji Fujimoto, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nagoya City University Medical School, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan.

    Back to CONTENTS.