1. Mild brain lesions do not affect brain volumes in moderate-late preterm infants
- Author
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Anouk S Verschuur, Martijn F. Boomsma, Gerda van Wezel-Meijler, Richard Beare, Cornelis H. Slump, Linda S. de Vries, Jacqueline Nijboer-Oosterveld, Vivian Boswinkel, Ingrid M Nijholt, Jochen A. C. van Osch, Digital Society Institute, and Robotics and Mechatronics
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Gestational Age ,Moderate-late preterm ,Gastroenterology ,Brain volumes ,Cerebrospinal fluid ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,Segmentation ,Neuroimaging ,Internal medicine ,Late preterm ,medicine ,Humans ,Prospective Studies ,Child ,Prospective cohort study ,Mild brain lesions ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Infant, Newborn ,Postmenstrual Age ,Brain ,Infant ,General Medicine ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,Brain lesions ,Gestation ,Female ,Neurology (clinical) ,business ,Infant, Premature - Abstract
Purpose It is unknown whether frequently occurring mild brain lesions affect brain volumes in moderate (MP2; 32+0-33+6 weeks' gestation) and late (LP3; 34+0-35+6 weeks’ gestation) preterm infants. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of mild brain lesions on brain volumes in moderate-late preterm (MLPT4) infants and to compare brain volumes between MP and LP infants. Methods From August 2017 to November 2019, eligible MLPT infants born at Isala Women and Children's Hospital were enrolled in a prospective cohort study (Brain Imaging in Moderate-late Preterm infants ‘BIMP-study’). MRI was performed around term equivalent age (TEA5). MRI scans were assessed for (mild) brain lesions. T2-weighted images were used for automatic segmentation of eight brain structures. Linear regression analysis was performed to compare absolute and relative brain volumes between infants with and without mild brain lesions and between MP and LP infants. Results 36 MP and 68 LP infants were included. In infants with mild brain lesions, intracranial volume (B = 27.4 cm3, p = 0.02), cerebrospinal fluid (B = 8.78 cm3, p = 0.01) and cerebellar volumes (B = 1.70 cm3, p = 0.03) were significantly larger compared to infants without mild brain lesions. After correction for weight and postmenstrual age at MRI, these volumes were no longer significantly different. LP infants had larger brain volumes than MP infants, but differences were not significant. Relative brain volumes showed no significant differences in both analyses. Conclusion Neither having mild brain lesions, nor being born moderate prematurely affected brain volumes at TEA in MLPT infants.
- Published
- 2021