Objective: To investigate the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the severity of their developmental disability.
Method: MRI and Münchener Funktionelle Entwicklungs Diagnostik (MFED) were used for the evaluation of 52 children with CP. MFED quotient (MFED age/corrected age⁓100) was compared to the MRI findings.
Results: Of the 52 MRIs, no abnormalities were found in 7 cases (13%), periventricular leukomalacias (PVLs) in 37 cases (71.2%), corpus callosum abnormalities in 33 cases (63.5%), delayed myelinations in 8 cases (15.4%), congenital brain abnormalities in 6 cases (11.5%), and central sulcus abnormalities in 3 cases (5.8%). Among 27 patients who were born preterm, the major MRI finding was PVL (100%), indicative of a hypoxic brain injury. All patients with a normal MRI were born at term. There were significant correlations between the MFED quotient and the severity of PVL. The ratio of corpus callosum length/brain anteroposterior diameter was correlated with a developmental disability.
Conclusion: MRI findings for the patients with CP are well correlated with the developmental disabilities and the timing of brain insult.
