P5 – 2504: The magnetic resonance imaging as a diagnostic tool in unilateral spastic cerebral palsy

Abstract

Objective Unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (US CP) is the unilateral motor impairment, congenital or early acquired, isolated or associated with additional impairments. The brain MRI is very useful tool to identify lesions and to provide early prognosis of motor outcome, but also presence and severity of associated disabilities. The aim of the study was to investigate brain MRI findings in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy and compare MRI findings between term and preterm (gestation age Methods The study was hospital based, which has included 106 patients with US CP (82 term/24 preterm). MRI findings were classified into 5 groups: 1. Brain maldevelopments 2. Periventricular white matter lesions 3. Cortical or deep gray matter lesions. 4. Other finding 5. Normal MRI findings. Results Periventricular white matter lesions where the most frequent (50/106, term 37/preterm 13), without statistically significant difference between term and preterm born children (χ 2 =0.4357; p=0.490517). Grey matter lesions had 32/106 children (term 25/preterm 7), without statistically significant difference between term and preterm born children (χ 2 =0.902; p=0.9862). There was only one case with deep grey matter lesions, all other cases where cortical-subcortical lesions. Normal MRI finding had 14/106 children (term 10/pre term 4). Brain malformations had 8/106 children and all of them were term born. Other finding had 2/106 children, and both of them were term born. Conclusion Brain MRI may help to understand morphological background of motor impairment in children with US CP. Periventricular white matter lesions were the most frequent, then cortical-subcortical lesions. There were no statistically significant difference between term and preterm born children.