Relationship between MRI Measurements of the Pons and Corpus Callosum and Prognosis of Motor Dysfunction in Children with Periventricular Leukomalacia

Background and Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is the major neuropathologic form of brain injury in premature infants. This study aimed at evaluating the use of pons volume and corpus callosum length measurements in predicting the severity of motor impairment in affected children.
Using MR imaging, we examined 91 children (57 boys and 34 girls) with PVL and 91 age-matched control children (50 boys and 41 girls), 2013-2014. Affected children with PVL were stratified according to the severity of motor impairment based on Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). The pons volume and the corpus callosum length were measured using the images and different parameters were compared between both groups.
Mean pons volumes were significantly smaller in the PVL group than that in the control group (3837.93 ± 1769.71 vs. 4350.70 ± 1593.48 mm3; P = .041). A significant correlation was observed between pons volumes and corpus callosum length in the PVL group (r= 0.49; P= 0.001) and the control group (r= 0.60; P= 0.001). Significant differences were seen in reduction of the size of pons between level I motor impairment and levels III, IV, and V motor impairment. Also, a similar pattern was observed between patients at level V motor impairment and the control group.
In this study, for the first time, pons volume and length of the corpus callosum biomarkers were found to be associated with the severity of motor impairment caused by PVL.