PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of brain abnormalities in a group of young children with developmental disorders, specifically including children that came to the attention of a child psychiatrist before the age of 3 years. METHODS: Forty-five children participated in an MR study (mean age 43 months, SD=12, four females). The study design was approved by the local Medical Ethical Review Board. All parents gave written informed consent. Scans were independently assessed by two board-certified radiologists for malformations of gray and white matter. RESULTS: Cohen's kappa for the consensus between the two raters was 0.79. In 22 children (49%) abnormalities were reported. Four patients (8.5%) had an arachnoid cyst. One female was diagnosed with a Chiari I malformation. Three children show enlarged Virchow-Robin spaces, an increased occurrence when compared to the normal population. CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of intracranial abnormalities was found in this study. Radiological findings do not contribute to the diagnosis of developmental disorders. However, young children with developmental disorders may not be able to express discomfort associated with brain abnormalities, such as a Chiari I malformation. Given the high prevalence of abnormalities in this sample neuroimaging may be a useful tool in clinically assessing children with developmental disorders.
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of brain abnormalities in a group of young children with developmental disorders, specifically including children that came to the attention of a child psychiatrist before the age of 3 years. METHODS: Forty-five children participated in an MR study (mean age 43 months, SD=12, four females). The study design was approved by the local Medical Ethical Review Board. All parents gave written informed consent. Scans were independently assessed by two board-certified radiologists for malformations of gray and white matter. RESULTS: Cohen's kappa for the consensus between the two raters was 0.79. In 22 children (49%) abnormalities were reported. Four patients (8.5%) had an arachnoid cyst. One female was diagnosed with a Chiari I malformation. Three children show enlarged Virchow-Robin spaces, an increased occurrence when compared to the normal population. CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of intracranial abnormalities was found in this study. Radiological findings do not contribute to the diagnosis of developmental disorders. However, young children with developmental disorders may not be able to express discomfort associated with brain abnormalities, such as a Chiari I malformation. Given the high prevalence of abnormalities in this sample neuroimaging may be a useful tool in clinically assessing children with developmental disorders.
Authors: Roma A Vasa; Marin Ranta; Thierry A G M Huisman; Pedro S Pinto; Rachael M Tillman; Stewart H Mostofsky Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2012-08
Authors: Heather Cody Hazlett; Hongbin Gu; Robert C McKinstry; Dennis W W Shaw; Kelly N Botteron; Stephen R Dager; Martin Styner; Clement Vachet; Guido Gerig; Sarah J Paterson; Robert T Schultz; Annette M Estes; Alan C Evans; Joseph Piven Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2012-06 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Sara Ambrosino; Hasnaa Elbendary; Maarten Lequin; Dominique Rijkelijkhuizen; Tobias Banaschewski; Simon Baron-Cohen; Nico Bast; Sarah Baumeister; Jan Buitelaar; Tony Charman; Daisy Crawley; Flavio Dell'Acqua; Hannah Hayward; Rosemary Holt; Carolin Moessnang; Antonio M Persico; Roberto Sacco; Antonia San José Cáceres; Julian Tillmann; Eva Loth; Christine Ecker; Bob Oranje; Declan Murphy; Sarah Durston Journal: Neuroimage Clin Date: 2022-07-16 Impact factor: 4.891