The Significance of Maturation Score of Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infant

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of perinatal risk factors on brain maturation and the relationship of brain maturation and neurodevelopmental outcomes with brain maturation scoring system in brain MRI. METHODS: ELBWI infants born at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January 2006 to December 2010 were included. A retrospective analysis was performed with their medical record and brain MR images acquired at near full term. We read brain MRI and measured maturity with total maturation score (TMS). TMS is a previously developed anatomic scoring system to assess brain maturity. The total maturation score was used to evaluate the four parameters of maturity: (1) myelination, (2) cortical infolding, (3) involution of glial cell migration bands, and (4) presence of germinal matrix tissue. RESULTS: Images from 124 infants were evaluated. Their mean gestational age at birth was 27.1+/-2.1 weeks, and mean birth weight was 781.5+/-143.9 g. The mean TMS was 10.8+/-2.0. TMS was significantly related to the postmenstrual age (PMA) of the infant, increasing with advancing postmenstrual age (P<0.001). TMS showed no significance with neurodevelopmental delay, and with brain injury, respectively. CONCLUSION: TMS was developed for evaluating brain maturation in conventional brain MRI. The results of this study suggest that TMS was not useful for predicting neurodevelopmental delay, but further studies are needed to make standard score for each PMA and to re-evaluate the relationship between brain maturation and neurodevelopmental delay.