Corpus callosum biometry in children born very preterm with and without cerebral palsy

Abstract

Background

Corpus callosum (CC) measurements are used as a biomarker of white matter volume in infants born very preterm (VPT; gestational age≤32 weeks). Although smaller CC measurements are found in both children born VPT and those with cerebral palsy (CP) compared to neurotypical children born at term, there is a lack of research specifically comparing CC measurements in VPT children with and without CP at different ages.

Participants and methods

We compared five CC measurements (total length, and thickness of genu, body, isthmus, and splenium) calculated on the midsagittal plane of T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a retrospective case-control study between VPT children with (case) and without CP (control) matched 1:1 by age at MRI at different ages (<12 months age; 5-11 years-old).

Results

Seventy-four VPT children were included (median age 5.8 months [2.1–89.3], 34 females). Children with CP showed shorter length (45.3 mm [40.9–66.2] vs 50.9 mm [44.5–69]; p = 0.01), smaller isthmus thickness (1.8 mm [1.2–2.2] vs 2.2 mm [1.8–4.1]; p = 0.03), and smaller splenium thickness (3.5 [2.7–7.9] vs 5 mm [3.7–9.8]; p = 0.04) compared to children without CP. Comparison of the two groups by age at MRI, showed significantly smaller splenium thickness in both infants (<12 months age) and children (5-11 years-old) with CP than in controls.

Conclusion

Infants and children born VPT with CP had smaller CC measurements than those without CP, with the posterior region being the most affected. Splenium thickness in VPT infants could serve as a biomarker for white matter damage, potentially leading to CP.