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Published on: October 28, 2022
Quantification of structural changes in the corpus callosumin children with profound hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury
Stavros M Stivaros1,2, Mark R Radon3, Reneta Mileva4
1Academic Unit of Paediatric Radiology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK. Stavros.Stivaros@manchester.ac.uk.
Insights
Hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury in newborns causes specific corpus callosum damage. Corpus callosum width measurements accurately identify affected infants, serving as a potential biomarker for this condition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Birth-related acute profound hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury (HIBI) can cause specific brain damage patterns.
- Damage often involves the paracentral lobules, affecting hemispheric development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if HIBI leads to anatomically coherent regional volume loss in the corpus callosum.
- To determine if corpus callosum abnormalities can serve as a biomarker for HIBI.
Main Methods:
- 13 children with HIBI and 13 controls underwent corpus callosum width measurements using a computerized system.
- Principal component analysis grouped widths into anatomical regions.
- Support vector machine (SVM) analysis was used for patient group stratification.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant narrowing of the mid-posterior body and genu of the corpus callosum was observed in children with HIBI.
- SVM analysis achieved over 95% accuracy in distinguishing HIBI patients from controls based on corpus callosum width.
Conclusions:
- Focal volume loss in the corpus callosum of HIBI patients results from the loss of commissural fibers originating in the paracentral lobules.
- SVM stratification using corpus callosum width is highly accurate, indicating its potential as a rapid clinical biomarker for HIBI.
Background:
Birth-related acute profound hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury has specific patterns of damage including the paracentral lobules.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that there is anatomically coherent regional volume loss of the corpus callosum as a result of this hemispheric abnormality.
Materials And Methods:
Study subjects included 13 children with proven acute profound hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury and 13 children with developmental delay but no brain abnormalities. A computerised system divided the corpus callosum into 100 segments, measuring each width. Principal component analysis grouped the widths into contiguous anatomical regions. We conducted analysis of variance of corpus callosum widths as well as support vector machine stratification into patient groups.
Results:
There was statistically significant narrowing of the mid-posterior body and genu of the corpus callosum in children with hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury. Support vector machine analysis yielded over 95% accuracy in patient group stratification using the corpus callosum centile widths.
Conclusion:
Focal volume loss is seen in the corpus callosum of children with hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury secondary to loss of commissural fibres arising in the paracentral lobules. Support vector machine stratification into the hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury group or the control group on the basis of corpus callosum width is highly accurate and points towards rapid clinical translation of this technique as a potential biomarker of hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury.
