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Computerized tomography of brain in infantile spasms (West syndrome)
A H Mahdi1, M D Yohannan, P J Patel
1Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Brain CT scans revealed abnormalities in most infants with infantile spasms, including cerebral atrophy and calcifications. Infants without physical or neurological issues rarely showed brain abnormalities on CT scans.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Infantile spasms are a severe form of epilepsy in infants.
- Brain imaging is crucial for understanding the underlying causes of infantile spasms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and types of brain abnormalities in infants diagnosed with infantile spasms using computerized tomographic scanning.
- To determine if clinical presentation correlates with CT findings.
Main Methods:
- Computerized tomographic (CT) scans of the brain were performed on 26 infants diagnosed with infantile spasms.
- Abnormalities were categorized, including cerebral atrophy, calcifications, and structural malformations.
- Statistical analysis was used to assess the correlation between clinical presentation and CT findings.
Main Results:
- A significant majority (69%) of infants with infantile spasms exhibited brain abnormalities on CT scans.
- Common findings included cerebral atrophy (12 infants), calcifications (5 infants), and dysgenesis of the corpus callosum (3 infants).
- Infants without physical or neurological abnormalities were significantly less likely to have detectable brain abnormalities on CT (p < 0.005).
Conclusions:
- Computerized tomographic scanning is a valuable tool for identifying brain abnormalities in infants with infantile spasms.
- The presence of physical or neurological abnormalities may predict the likelihood of finding structural brain changes.
- Early identification of these abnormalities can inform prognosis and treatment strategies for infantile spasms.
Abstract:
Computerized tomographic scanning of the brain was performed in 26 infants with Infantile spasms. Majority of the patients, 18 (69%) had some abnormality. Changes noted were cerebral atrophy in 12, calcifications in 5 and dysgenesis of the corpus callosum in 3 patients. One infant each had porencephaly, hydrocephalus and cavum septum pellucidum. Five patients had more than one abnormality simultaneously. Three infants had progressively worsening atrophy on ACTH therapy. Patients with infantile spasms, without any physical or neurological abnormality, are unlikely to have any abnormalities on brain CT scanning (p = less than 0.005).