203 posters, 14 topics, 5 sessions, 817 authors, 256 institutions
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The AAPS 102nd Annual Meeting
May 18-21, 2024 | The Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA
D125
A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Comparison Of White Matter Development In Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis To Neurotypical Infants
Poster Presenter
Authors
Jake Moscarelli, Mariana Almeida, Cheryl Lacadie, Kevin Hu, Jacqueline Ihnat, Neil Parikh, John Persing, Michael Alperovich
Affiliations
Part of Topic
Craniofacial/Peds
A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Comparison of White Matter Development in Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis to Neurotypical Infants
Background & Purpose
•Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) is associated with neurocognitive deficits
•Intervention at infancy is standard of care to limit the negative effects of NSC on brain development
•This study implemented diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter microstructure in infants with NSC undergoing cranial vault remodeling compared to age-matched neurotypical controls
Methods
•Infants with NSC (n=12) underwent DTI scans before and after cranial vault remodeling
•Neurotypical infants (n=5), age matched to NSC patients at preoperative scans, were compared to preoperative DTI scans
•Pre- and postoperative NSC scans were compared in aggregate, and the sagittal synostosis (n=8) patients were evaluated separately
•Finally, neurotypical infants from the University of North Carolina/University of New Mexico Baby Connectome Project (BCP), who underwent DTI scans at timepoints matching the NSC pre- and postoperative DTI scans, were analyzed (n=9)
•Trends over the same time period were compared between NSC and BCP scans
•DTI parameters analyzed were fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, RD)
Results
•Comparison of white matter development in pre- and postoperative NSC scans to neurotypical control scans suggests that NSC, particularly sagittal NSC, may affect the early development of certain white matter tracts
•Microstructural development of the corpus body, genu, inferior, and superior longitudinal fasciculi appears to consistently lag behind the development observed in the neurotypical control (BCP) cohort
Conclusions and Clinical Implications
•White matter development from 5-8 months in infants with NSC, particularly sagittal NSC, undergoing cranial vault remodeling appears to be decreased in certain tracts compared to neurotypical controls
• It is possible that this contributes to neurocognitive deficits previously characterized in this patient population
Acknowledgements
•Thank you to Dr. Alperovich and all for their support and contributions to this ongoing work!