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Central tegmental tract hyperintensity: follow-up outcomes from a single-center study

  • Paediatric Neuroradiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the follow-up outcomes of symmetrical central tegmental tract hyperintensity (CTTH) and discuss possible etiological factors involved.

Methods

Brain MRI scans of 7028 pediatric patients aged 0 to 18 years obtained between July 2015 and May 2020, were reviewed retrospectively for the presence of CTTH. Clinical data of the patients were retrieved from the hospital information system. Patients with follow-up MRI scans were evaluated separately.

Results

A total of 5113 patients meeting the study inclusion criteria were identified in whom the prevalence of CTTH was 4.02% (n = 206). Of the patients with CTTH, 40.3% (n = 83) were girls, and the median age was 19 months (range, 1–108). The most common MRI indication was seizures (40.3%, n = 83), and among those with a definitive diagnosis, epilepsy was the most prevalent etiology (7.8%, n = 16). 40.7% (n = 84) of the patients with CTTH had follow-up MRI scans. CTTH disappeared on follow-up in 28.6% (n = 24) of the patients. The median age at CTTH disappearance was 51.5 months, and the mean (± SD) time to CTTH disappearance was 31.50 (± 19.02) months.

Conclusion

CTTH is a radiological finding commonly seen in early childhood but its clinical relevance has not been fully elucidated. While CTTH may be a transient phenomenon representing the maturation process, it may also be associated with a number of clinical conditions. Using a large patient series and follow-up MRI scans, our study shed light on the possible etiological factors of CTTH and its evolution over time.

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Data availability

The data sets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, TR-34488, İstanbul, Turkey

    Ali Dablan

  2. Department of Radiology, Ercis Country Hospital, TR-65400, Van, Turkey

    Yusuf Kerem Limon

  3. Department of Radiology, Adıyaman University Education and Research Hospital, TR-02200, Adıyaman, Turkey

    Cemil Oktay

  4. Department of Radiology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, TR-07070, Antalya, Turkey

    Kamil Karaali

Authors
  1. Ali Dablan
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  2. Yusuf Kerem Limon
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  3. Cemil Oktay
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  4. Kamil Karaali
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by [Ali Dablan], [Yusuf Kerem Limon], [Cemil Oktay] and [Kamil Karaali]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [Ali Dablan] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali Dablan.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval

Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board. This study was conducted in accordance with the principles laid out in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent

The work did not include humans and animals.Therefore, informed consent was not applicable.

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The study involved no human subjects, and no consent for participation or publication was required.

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The study involved no human subjects, and no consent for participation or publication was required.

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Written patient consent was not required for this study because of its retrospective nature.

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Dablan, A., Limon, Y.K., Oktay, C. et al. Central tegmental tract hyperintensity: follow-up outcomes from a single-center study. Neuroradiology 65, 1165–1171 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-023-03149-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-023-03149-2

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