Preterm brain injury on term-equivalent age MRI in relation to perinatal factors and neurodevelopmental outcome at two years.

Objectives: First, to apply a recently extended scoring system for preterm brain injury at term-equivalent age (TEA-)MRI in a regional extremely preterm cohort; second, to identify independent perinatal factors associated with this score; and third, to assess the prognostic value of this TEA-MRI score with respect to early neurodevelopmental outcome.

Study Design: 239 extremely preterm infants (median gestational age [range] in weeks: 26.6 [24.

Brain Volumes at Term-Equivalent Age in Preterm Infants: Imaging Biomarkers for Neurodevelopmental Outcome through Early School Age.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between brain volumes at term and neurodevelopmental outcome through early school age in preterm infants.

Study Design: One hundred twelve preterm infants (born mean gestational age 28.6 ± 1.

Sequential cranial ultrasound and cerebellar diffusion weighted imaging contribute to the early prognosis of neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants.

Objective: To evaluate the contribution of sequential cranial ultrasound (cUS) and term-equivalent age magnetic resonance imaging (TEA-MRI) including diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) to the early prognosis of neurodevelopmental outcome in a cohort of very preterm infants (gestational age [GA] <31 weeks).

Study Design: In total, 93 preterm infants (median [range] GA in weeks: 28.3 [25.

Automatic segmentation of eight tissue classes in neonatal brain MRI.

Purpose: Volumetric measurements of neonatal brain tissues may be used as a biomarker for later neurodevelopmental outcome. We propose an automatic method for probabilistic brain segmentation in neonatal MRIs.

Materials And Methods: In an IRB-approved study axial T1- and T2-weighted MR images were acquired at term-equivalent age for a preterm cohort of 108 neonates.

Hydrocortisone treatment for bronchopulmonary dysplasia and brain volumes in preterm infants.

Objective: To assess whether there was an adverse effect on brain growth after hydrocortisone (HC) treatment for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in a large cohort of infants without dexamethasone exposure.

Study Design: Infants who received HC for BPD between 2005 and 2011 and underwent magnetic resonance imaging at term-equivalent age were included. Control infants born in Geneva (2005-2006) and Utrecht (2007-2011) were matched to the infants treated with HC according to segmentation method, sex, and gestational age.

Cerebral white matter and neurodevelopment of preterm infants after coagulase-negative staphylococcal sepsis.

Objective: Coagulase-negative staphylococci are the most common pathogens causing late-onset sepsis in the neonatal intensive care unit. Neonatal sepsis can be associated with cerebral white matter damage in preterm infants. Neurodevelopment has been shown to be correlated with apparent diffusion coefficients, fractional anisotropy, and axial and radial diffusivities of the white matter.

Changes in carotid blood flow after unilateral perinatal arterial ischemic stroke.

Introduction: Little is known about changes in carotid blood flow after perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS). The aim of this study was to assess the blood flow in the internal carotid arteries (ICAs) after unilateral PAIS.

Methods: The carotid flow (ml/min) was measured noninvasively by means of two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography (2D PC-MRA) in 25 full-term infants who had unilateral PAIS within 10 d after birth.

Cerebellar volume and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at term, and neurodevelopment at 2 years of age in preterm infants.

Aim: To assess the relation between cerebellar volume and spectroscopy at term equivalent age, and neurodevelopment at 24 months corrected age in preterm infants.

Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed around term equivalent age in 112 preterm infants (mean gestational age 28wks 3d [SD 1wk 5d]; birthweight 1129g [SD 324g]). Cerebellar volume (60 males, 52 females), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1) H-MRS) of the cerebellum in a subgroup of 58 infants were assessed in relation to cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III.

Fiber tracking at term displays gender differences regarding cognitive and motor outcome at 2 years of age in preterm infants.

White matter microstructural changes can be detected with diffusion tensor imaging. It was hypothesized that diffusion parameters in the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and corpus callosum (CC) bundles in preterm infants at term equivalent age (TEA) were associated with neurodevelopment at 2 y corrected age. In 67 preterm infants, fiber tracking was performed at TEA for the CC and both PLIC bundles.

Serial MRI and neurodevelopmental outcome in 9- to 10-year-old children with neonatal encephalopathy.

Objective: To assess the relation between patterns of brain injury on neonatal and childhood magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome.

Study Design: Neonatal (n = 34) and childhood MRIs (n = 77) were analyzed for 80 children with neonatal encephalopathy and for 51 control subjects during childhood. MRIs were graded as normal, mildly abnormal (white matter lesions), or moderately/severely abnormal (watershed injury, lesions in basal ganglia/thalamus or focal infarction).

Corpus callosum size in relation to motor performance in 9- to 10-year-old children with neonatal encephalopathy.

Magnetic resonance imaging studies have contributed to recognize the patterns of cerebral injury related to neonatal encephalopathy (NE). We assessed whether a smaller corpus callosum (CC) explained the difference in motor performance between school-age children with NE and controls. Frontal, middle, and posterior areas of the CC were measured in 61 9-10-y-old children with NE and in 47 controls.