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Updated: Aug 9, 2025
Mouse Models of Periventricular Leukomalacia
Published on: May 18, 2010
Visual impairment and periventricular leukomalacia in children: A systematic review
Stefania Petri1, Francesca Tinelli1
1Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy.
Insights
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) shows a strong link between periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and visual impairment in infants. Early MRI diagnosis is crucial for assessing visual function outcomes and planning rehabilitation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging and Pediatrics
- Ophthalmology and Visual Neuroscience
Background:
- Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a significant neonatal brain injury.
- Early diagnosis of PVL is possible with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
- The relationship between PVL, MRI findings, and visual impairment outcomes requires further investigation.
Approach:
- A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases.
- 10 studies were selected from 81 identified records.
- Study quality was assessed using the STROBE Checklist.
Key Points:
- PVL on MRI is strongly associated with impairments in visual acuity, ocular motility, and visual field.
- Damage to optical radiations was reported in 60% of reviewed articles.
- MRI findings correlate with visual function deficits, particularly in periventricular white matter and optical radiation integrity.
Conclusions:
- MRI plays a vital role in screening and diagnosing brain changes impacting visual function in neonates with PVL.
- Further research is needed to clarify the definition of visual impairment in PVL.
- Establishing correlations between MRI and visual outcomes is essential for personalized early therapeutic-rehabilitation plans.
Background:
Thanks to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) it is now possible to diagnose lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) such as periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) from the first days of life. However, there are still few studies aimed at describing the relationship between MRI and the outcome of visual function in patients with PVL.
Aim:
To systematically review and investigate the relationship between MRI neuroimaging and visual impairment arising from PVL.
Methods And Procedures:
Three electronic databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science) were consulted from 15 June 2021-30 September 2021. Of the 81 records identified, 10 were selected for the systematic review. The STROBE Checklist was used to assess the quality of the observational studies.
Outcome And Results:
PVL on MRI was found to have a strong association with visual impairment in the various aspects of visual function (visual acuity, ocular motility, visual field); in 60% of these articles, the selected subjects also reported damage to optical radiations.
Conclusion And Implications:
there is a clear need for more extensive and detailed studies on the correlation between PVL and visual impairment, in order to set up a personalized early therapeutic-rehabilitation plan. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS?: Over the past decades numerous studies have reported increasing evidence that one of the most frequent sequelae in subjects with PVL, in addition to motor impairment, is the impairment of visual function even if it is still not clear what different authors mean with the term visual impairment. This systematic review presents an overview of the relationship between structural correlates of MRI and visual impairment in children with periventricular leukomalacia. Interesting correlations emerge between MRI radiological finding and consequences on visual function especially between damage to the periventricular white matter and the impairment of various aspects of visual function and also between the impairment of optical radiation and visual acuity. Thanks to this literature revision, it is now clear that MRI plays an important role in the screening and diagnosis of significant intracranial brain changes in very young children in particular about the outcome of visual function. This is of great relevance since that visual function represents one of the main adaptive functions in the development of the child.
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