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Porencephaly and schizencephaly in adopted infants. Frequency ascertainment in a risk group
Insights
This study investigated adopted children, finding cerebral palsy in 0.9%. A rare bilateral porencephaly lesion was noted, suggesting prenatal brain damage risks in adopted infants.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Radiology
Background:
- Cerebral palsy is a significant concern in child health.
- Understanding the etiology of cerebral palsy, particularly in adopted populations, is crucial.
- Prenatal factors are increasingly recognized as contributors to brain damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurodevelopmental outcomes of legally adopted children from Indonesia.
- To identify the prevalence and types of brain lesions associated with cerebral palsy in this cohort.
- To explore potential links between specific brain lesions and prenatal damage.
Main Methods:
- A formal health inquiry was conducted on 1206 legally adopted children.
- Computed tomography (CT) examinations were performed on 7 children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to confirm specific lesion types.
Main Results:
- Cerebral palsy was identified in 9 out of 1029 respondents (0.9%).
- CT scans revealed abnormalities in all 7 examined cases, including bilateral full thickness porencephaly (BFTP) in 4 cases.
- The BFTP lesion, rare in cerebral palsy studies, was linked to prenatal damage.
Conclusions:
- This study highlights an increased risk of specific prenatal brain damage in adopted children.
- The high frequency of BFTP lesions suggests a significant prenatal etiology.
- Further research is warranted to understand and mitigate prenatal brain damage risks in adopted populations.
Abstract:
A formal inquiry on the health state of 1206 legally adopted children from Indonesia revealed cerebral palsy in 9 (0.9% of 1029 responses obtained), including two who had died. CT examination performed in 7 cases was abnormal in all. Four types of lesions were seen: 1. Bilateral full thickness porencephalies (BFTP lesion) in 4 cases, amounting to 0.4% of the total population on which response was obtained. 2. Full thickness porencephaly of the area of one internal carotid artery in 1 case. 3. Schizencephaly-like lesion in 1 case, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. 4. Supratentorial midline cyst resulting in hydrocephalus. The frequency of the BFTP lesion found in 4 out of 7 cerebral palsied investigated by CT is remarkable in view of its rarity in radiological studies on cerebral palsy and because of its relationship to prenatal rather than perinatal damage according to previous pathological studies. This is the first systematic study on the neurodevelopmental outcome of a group of adopted babies which indicates an increased risk to specific prenatal brain damage.