Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Evaluation of Pediatric Patients with Mental Retardation

Abstract

ntellectualdisabilityaffectsabout2–3%ofthegeneralpopulation. Mentalretardationcanbeattributedtomanycausesandfactorseithergeneticorenvironmental. Ourstudyincluded35patientscomplainingofmentalretardation.MRIdonetoallofourpatients. OurstudyrevealedthatMRIisaninformativediagnosticmodalityinmentalretardation. WeclassifiedthedetectedMRIstructuralabnormalitiestoventriculomegaly58%(reflectingcentralbrainatrophy),whitematterabnormality33.33%.prominentsupratentorial/infratentorialextraaxialCSFspaces29%(theformerisreflectingcorticalatrophy),corpuscallosmabnormalities20%.basalganglionabnormalities16.6%.cerebellaratrophy16.6%.vermisabnormalities12.5%.dysplasias(cerebralcortical4%orcerebellar8.3%),andbrainstemabnormalities4%. Developmentaldelaypresentswithawidespectrumofetiologies,clinicalfindingsandMRIfeaturesrangingfromcompletelynormaltoabnormal.ThepresentstudycouldestablishthevariousmorphologicalappearancesofdevelopmentaldelayonMRIandfurthercategorizethemintovarioussubgroupspavingwayfortreatingclinicianstoplanpropermanagementandparentcounseling. FurtherserialandsequentialMRImaybenecessarytoascertaindiseaseprogression.AdvancesinMRImagingtechnologieslikeFunctionalMRI,MRSpectroscopy,DiffusionTensorImaging&Tractographyespeciallyinstructurallynormalbrainofsuchchildren,wouldprovidemoreyieldinginformation.