Purpose: The author conducted a retrospective study assessing the value of brain magnetic resonance Imaging(MRI) in children who were complained of symptoms of central nervous system disorders.
Methods: One hundred and twenty-six pediatric patients with neurologic disorders were studied from August. 1991 to August, 1995. ranging in age from 1 month to 15 years old. All patients were imaged with MRI. Fifteen of 126 patients were performed brain CT and MRI. The profiles of patients, frequency and type of abnormal MRI findings, correlation between chief complaints and MRI findings, comparison between CT and MRI results and final diagnosis, and correlation between final diagnosis and MRI findings were studied.
Results: 1) Fifty-three(42.1%) patients showed abnormal MRI findings. 2) The most common lesions of MRI in decreasing frequency were congenital morphogenetic abnormalities, periventricular leukomalacia, hippocampal sclerosis, leptomeningeal enhancement, focal infarction, brain atrophy and hydrocephalus 3) The incidence of abnormal MRI results according to chief complaints was high in visual disturbances(100%), large head(100%), limb weakness (83.3%), seizure with developmental delay(80%), and focal seizure(52%). 4) Six patients with abnormal CT scans also had abnormal findings on MRI. Three patients with normal CT showed abnormal MRI findings, which were cortical dysplasia, hippocampal sclerosis, and leptomeningeal enhancement. 5) MRI provided positive findings in 100% of brain tumors and hydrocephalus 81.8% of cerebral palsy, 75% of meningoencephalitis. 50% of focal epilepsy, and 33.3% of developmental delay. MRI showed normal in patients of migraine, acute gastroenteritis with seizure disorder, facial nerve palsy, and breath holding spells.
Conclusions: MRI provided useful information in evaluating central nervous system disorders of children, and more sensitive method than CT.
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