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Updated: May 24, 2026
High-resolution In Vivo Manual Segmentation Protocol for Human Hippocampal Subfields Using 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: November 10, 2015
Hippocampal volume in children with temporal lobe epilepsy compared to healthy children: a magnetic resonance imaging
Yu-Zhen Zhang1, Wen-Hua Li, Yu Gao
1Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, The Sixth Affiliated People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
Insights
Pediatric temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) shows varied hippocampal volumes (HCVs) in younger children compared to controls. These findings aid in assessing hippocampal abnormalities in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatric Epilepsy
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Limited research compares hippocampal volume (HCV) in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
- Understanding pediatric TLE requires detailed analysis of brain structures like the hippocampus.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial for assessing structural changes in pediatric epilepsy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare hippocampal volumes (HCVs) in children with TLE versus normal controls (NC).
- To analyze changes in HCV during the acute phase in pediatric TLE patients using MRI.
- To establish normative HCV data for pediatric age groups.
Main Methods:
- Manual measurements of HCVs were performed on 3D-MPRAGE MRI sequences.
- Case (n=24) and NC (n=24) groups were matched for age and gender, divided into three age cohorts (2-5.9, 6-8.9, 9-13 years).
- Statistical analyses included paired t-tests and ANCOVA to compare HCVs and account for age and gender effects.
Main Results:
- Children aged 2-5.9 years with TLE showed significantly different HCVs compared to NC, unlike older groups.
- Age-related differences in HCV were observed, but gender did not significantly impact HCV.
- Significant differences in right-to-left HCV ratios were found in the youngest TLE cohort (2-5.9 years).
Conclusions:
- Heterogeneity in HCV within the 2-5.9 years TLE cohort may be linked to increased hippocampal volumes.
- Normative HCV data from normal controls can serve as a reference for identifying hippocampal abnormalities in pediatric TLE.
- Further research is needed to understand the implications of these early-stage volumetric differences.
Context:
There are currently few published studies that compare hippocampal volume (HCV) in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Aims : T0 o compare HCVs in children with TLE and in relation to normal controls (NC), and to analyze HCV change in the acute phase in pediatric subjects using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Setting and Design : T0 he case group (n=24) was matched in gender and age range with NC subjects (n=24). Subjects were divided into three groups according to age: 2-5.9 years, 6-8.9 years and 9-13 years.
Materials And Methods:
M0 anual measurements were used to obtain HCVs on oblique coronary MRI images obtained by three-dimensional magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (3D-MPRAGE) sequence. Statistical Analyses : T0 he HCV was calculated and normalized. Paired t-tests were used to compare the right and left HCVs within each study group. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to consider the impact of age and gender on HCVs.
Results:
T0 wenty-two patients were diagnosed with definite/probable TLE, and two were non-syndromic focal epilepsy which was distributed in the 2-5.9 years group. The range of left to right mean HCVs of the case and NC group aged 2-13 years was 2014.14 ± 54.32 mm 3 to 2165.31 ± 80.99 mm 3 and 2015.46 ± 26.97 mm 3 to 2100.93 ± 57.33 mm 3 respectively. There were age-related differences in left and right HCV, but no effect of gender. Relative to NC subjects, cases group aged 2-5.9 years had significantly different HCVs, while no significant difference was found in the other two groups. There was significant difference in the right to left HCVs in the case subjects aged 2-5.9 years, but not in the other age groups.
Conclusions:
T0 he heterogeneity in the 2-5.9 years age cohort may relate to the increased HCVs. The HCV data from NC subjects may be used as a reference to assess hippocampal abnormalities in clinical practice.
