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A comparison of microstructural maturational changes of the corpus callosum in preterm and full-term children: a diffusion tensor imaging study

  • Paediatric Neuroradiology
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Abstract

Introduction

Preterm children with thinning of the corpus callosum (CC) frequently achieve poor neurodevelopmental outcomes despite the absence of a definite brain lesion. Here, the authors compared the microstructural characteristics of the CC in preterm and full-term children using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Methods

Twenty-two preterm children with no definite focal lesion but with thinning of the CC by conventional magnetic resonance imaging and 23 age-matched full-term children were investigated by DTI. CCs were subdivided into genu, rostral body, body, isthmus, and splenium, and voxel counts (VC), fractional anisotropies (FA), and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were measured in each subdivision. Eleven preterm and 11 age-matched full-term subjects underwent follow-up scanning and interval changes in these parameters for each subdivision were compared.

Results

VC and FA were significantly lower in the preterm group than in the full-term group, particularly in the isthmus. Furthermore, incremental changes in VC and FA were significantly smaller in the preterm group. Differences in maturation between the two groups were more pronounced with age in all subdivisions except the splenium. At all ages, noticeable FA differences between the two groups were observed in the isthmus. For white matter tracts, the preterm group displayed lower FA and fiber number, higher ADC values than the term group.

Conclusions

The present study shows that thinning of the CC is correlated with lower FA value and that it is more pronounced in preterm children. In addition, the isthmus was found to be the most vulnerable subdivision in preterm children.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (2011-0003426).

Conflict of interest

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, University 317-1, Daemyungdong, Namku, Taegu, 705-717, Republic of Korea

    Hae Min Jo, Hee Kyung Cho, Sung Ho Jang, Han Sun Kim & Su Min Son

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, Republic of Korea

    Sang Seok Yeo

  3. Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, University 317-1, Daemyungdong, Namku, Taegu, 705-717, Republic of Korea

    Eunsil Lee

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  1. Hae Min Jo
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Correspondence to Su Min Son.

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Jo, H.M., Cho, H.K., Jang, S.H. et al. A comparison of microstructural maturational changes of the corpus callosum in preterm and full-term children: a diffusion tensor imaging study. Neuroradiology 54, 997–1005 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-012-1042-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-012-1042-8

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