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Cerebellar vermis morphology in children with spina bifida and Chiari type II malformation

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Abstract

Objective

Posterior fossa size and cerebellar weight and volume are reduced in Chiari type II malformation (CII). This is assumed to affect the cerebellum uniformly. We quantified the presumed reduction in vermis size on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

A midsagittal brain MRI slice was selected from each of 68 participants with CII (mean age 13 years). Control participants were 28 typically developing children (mean age 14.1 years). Midsagittal surface areas occupied by the intracranial fossa, posterior fossa, vermis, and its lobules were measured.

Conclusions

Mean posterior fossa area was significantly smaller (P<0.003), although mean vermis area was significantly larger (P<0.0001), in participants with CII than in control participants. This expansion involved vermis lobules I–V and VI–VII areas (P<0.0001). The midsagittal vermis was expanded and not reduced in size in participants with CII. This is attributed to compressive displacement of midline structures within the confines of a small posterior fossa.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Drs. Daune L. MacGregor, Teresa To, and Pheroze Bharucha, Miss Dawn Greer, and Mrs. Irit Dror for their help and support. Financial support: (1) Research training competition award, The HSC; (2) KidsAction; (3) Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Canada; (4) Clinician Scientist training program awards, HSC, and Vision Science Research Program at Toronto Western Hospital; (5) Bloorview MacMillan Hospital foundation grants (MS Salman); (6) National Institutes of Health grant (J Fletcher, M Dennis) “Spina bifida: Cognitive and neurobiological variability”; and (7) Canadian Institute of Health Research of Canada grants MT5404 and ME 5909 (JA Sharpe).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

    Michael S. Salman

  2. Division of Neurology, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Michael S. Salman & James A. Sharpe

  3. Section of Paediatric Neurology, AE 108, Harry Medovy House, Children’s Hospital, 820 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3A 1R9, Canada

    Michael S. Salman

  4. Division Radiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

    Susan E. Blaser

  5. Division Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

    Maureen Dennis

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  1. Michael S. Salman
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  2. Susan E. Blaser
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  3. James A. Sharpe
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  4. Maureen Dennis
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Correspondence to Michael S. Salman.

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Salman, M.S., Blaser, S.E., Sharpe, J.A. et al. Cerebellar vermis morphology in children with spina bifida and Chiari type II malformation. Childs Nerv Syst 22, 385–393 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-005-1180-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-005-1180-y

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