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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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MRI Of 8 Month Baby Done, Was Born At 33 Weeks. What Does Findings Suggest?

My daughter, born at 33 weeks on the nose and now aged 8 months, had her first MRI today. We were referred to the MRI by both her pediatrician and her ophthalmologist because of her delayed motor and vision development, hypotonia, intermittent esotropia.

The results came back and she was found to have suffered what they think it was a "Hypoxic Ischemic Injury" in utero. "The volume of white matter throughout the brain is decreased. The corpus callosum is diffusely thinned, but completely formed... Diffuse mild cerebral volume loss, suggestive of a remote injury, potentially in utero. No evidence of acute or subacute injury. Symmetric decreased size of the optic nerves and chiasm, commensurate with diffuse cerebral white matter loss... Myelination is appropriate for age, given prematurity"

They refuse to speculate on either cause or prognosis.

What, without examining the MRI yourself, do you think the prognosis might be? Is there a good resource for for me to research these findings in more detail? Most Google searches are returning papers written on cerebral volume loss in Alzheimer's patients... Hardly the same thing.

Thanks,
Concerned Father
Wed, 31 Jul 2013
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Psychiatrist 's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.

The human brain develops even after birth. In the first few months, the brain development is seen to occur in the form of myelination. Brain is a very sensitive organ and very often, if part of the brain does not develop adequately, the effects remain for long.

In your daughter's MRI brain, the report mentions about decrease in white matter with thinning of corpus callosum and mild diffuse cerebral volume loss with the cause being put as (?vascular) injury when she was inside her mother. These findings mean that there might have been mild developmental brain injury and at some point in time, the brain development slowed down. This could be due to many reasons.

Your child's growth needs to be followed very closely and supervised by a pediatric neurologist and if desired by them, a child psychiatry team. At 8 months it is very difficult to predict exactly how your child will develop, but the prognosis to these conditions is very good if detected early.

Resources are available in plenty on Google scholar but you must discuss your child's condition with your doctor because he will have to clinically examine your daughter regularly and then guide you in treatment. The final diagnosis can only be made after careful detailed examination.

Hope this helps.
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MRI Of 8 Month Baby Done, Was Born At 33 Weeks. What Does Findings Suggest?

Hi, Thanks for writing in. The human brain develops even after birth. In the first few months, the brain development is seen to occur in the form of myelination. Brain is a very sensitive organ and very often, if part of the brain does not develop adequately, the effects remain for long. In your daughter s MRI brain, the report mentions about decrease in white matter with thinning of corpus callosum and mild diffuse cerebral volume loss with the cause being put as (?vascular) injury when she was inside her mother. These findings mean that there might have been mild developmental brain injury and at some point in time, the brain development slowed down. This could be due to many reasons. Your child s growth needs to be followed very closely and supervised by a pediatric neurologist and if desired by them, a child psychiatry team. At 8 months it is very difficult to predict exactly how your child will develop, but the prognosis to these conditions is very good if detected early. Resources are available in plenty on Google scholar but you must discuss your child s condition with your doctor because he will have to clinically examine your daughter regularly and then guide you in treatment. The final diagnosis can only be made after careful detailed examination. Hope this helps.