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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
10:02
State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Contralateral hemimicrencephaly in neonatal hemimegalencephaly.
Mark S Shiroishi1, Hollie A Jackson, Marvin D Nelson
1Department of Radiology, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Pediatric Radiology
|March 30, 2010
Summary
Advanced MRI techniques reveal abnormalities in neonatal hemimegalencephaly. Findings show distinct white matter changes in both affected and unaffected brain hemispheres, crucial for patient management.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Pediatric Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Hemimegalencephaly (HME) is a rare congenital brain malformation.
- Accurate diagnosis and characterization of HME are vital for effective patient management.
- Identifying contralateral hemisphere abnormalities is critical for understanding HME's full impact.
Observation:
- A 5-day-old neonate with HME presented with an enlarged ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere.
- Conventional MRI revealed diffuse volume loss in the contralateral hemisphere.
- Advanced MRI sequences were utilized to further investigate hemispheric differences.
Findings:
- The ipsilateral frontal white matter showed increased N-acetylaspartate (NAA), fractional anisotropy (FA), and cerebral blood volume (CBV).
- The contralateral white matter exhibited elevated lactate and increased mean diffusivity (MD).
- These advanced MR findings support the abnormalities observed on conventional MRI.
Implications:
- Advanced MR neuroimaging can confirm and characterize subtle abnormalities in the contralateral hemisphere of neonates with HME.
- These findings may improve diagnostic accuracy and inform treatment strategies for HME.
- Further research into advanced MRI applications in neonatal HME is warranted.
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