Sydenham Chorea: Putaminal Enlargement.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Sydenham chorea is a neurological disorder affecting children.
• Understanding its pathogenesis is crucial for effective treatment.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a key tool for brain structure analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate MRI's efficacy in detecting brain region changes in Sydenham chorea.
• To investigate the role of basal ganglia structures in Sydenham chorea pathogenesis.
• To compare quantitative MRI volumetric data between patients and controls.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative MRI volumetric analysis using the "volBrain" method.
• Inclusion of 24 Sydenham chorea patients and 35 age/gender-matched controls.
• High-resolution T1-weighted 3D magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition of gradient echo scans.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in globus pallidus, caudate, or thalamic volumes.
• Significantly larger relative mean total, left, and right putamen volumes in Sydenham chorea patients (P = .003, P = .018, P = .001).
• MRI scans were otherwise within normal limits for all subjects.

Conclusions:

• Increased putamen size in Sydenham chorea patients suggests selective neuroanatomic differences.
• Findings support a hypothesis of cross-reactive antibody-mediated inflammation of the putamen.
• MRI provides valuable data for understanding Sydenham chorea's pathophysiology.