Demonstration of Normal Development of Corpus Callosum in Infancy by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Introduction: Corpus Callosum (CC) is the major anatomical and functional commissure which transmits information across two cerebral hemispheres. It is assessed by looking at its morphology on midsagittal sequence of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Physiological variations and diseases alter the structure of CC. It undergoes structural changes throughout the infancy which should be taken into account for better evaluation. Hence, the normal reference biometric data of CC on MRI in infants is needed. There are very limited data of normal reference range of thickness of CC especially in infants. Aim: To establish the normal standards for the CC in first year of life using MRI. Materials and Methods: It was a retrospective observational study conducted in the year 2019-2020 in which the MRI images of 100 patients aged 4 days to 12 months with seizures and trauma were reviewed to evaluate CC. Children with abnormalities on MRI were excluded from the study. The thickness of subregions of the CC (genu, body, splenium) and the length were measured. Age related changes in the size of the subregions of the CC was assessed. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel sheet and statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: In the age group of less than two months, the width of genu, body, isthmus and splenium was 5 mm, 2 mm, 1.52 and 3.45 mm, respectively. The length of CC was 47.24 mm. As the age of children increased, there was increase in width of genu, body, splenium, isthmus and length of CC. At the age group of 11-12 months the width of genu, body, isthmus and splenium was 9.10 mm, 4.90 mm, 2.29 mm and 8.64 mm respectively. The length of CC was 60.57 mm. The study reveals that there is a progressive change in dimension of CC with advancement of age. Conclusion: There is a considerable change in the appearance of CC during infancy, knowledge of which is useful in differentiating between normal and abnormal brain.