Diagnostic Value of Diffusion Tensor Imaging for Infants' Brain Development Retardation Caused by Pre-Eclampsia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neonatalogy
• Radiology

Background:

• Pre-eclampsia (PE) poses risks to infant neurodevelopment, potentially causing delays.
• Understanding white matter development in preterm infants exposed to PE is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize differences in brain white matter development patterns.
• Compare preterm infants born to mothers with and without PE.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to examine 80 preterm infants in the PE group and 96 controls.
• Fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in five brain regions: posterior limbs of internal capsule (PLIC), splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC), superior frontal gyrus (SFG), superior parietal lobule (SPL), and superior occipital gyrus (SOG).
• The correlation between FA values and postmenstrual age (PMA) was analyzed.

Main Results:

• In controls, PMA and FA positively correlated in SCC and PLIC (r=0.30, p=0.003; r=0.53, p<0.0001). No such correlation was found in the PE group.
• Positive correlations between PMA and FA were observed in SPL and SOG in both PE and control groups.
• The superior frontal gyrus (SFG) showed a positive correlation in controls (r=0.47, p<0.0001) but not in the PE group.

Conclusions:

• PE may impede white matter development in the SCC, PLIC, and SFG in infants.
• DTI is a sensitive tool for detecting these developmental differences.