MRI changes and deficits of higher brain functions in preterm diplegia.

Forty-one preterm children (29 with spastic diplegia and 12 without motor deficits) who had a normal verbal IQ were studied to clarify the clinical significance of neuroanatomical abnormalities disclosed by T1-weighted and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both types of images clearly showed abnormalities in the frontal corona radiata of the children with spastic diplegia, while there were no abnormalities in the children without motor deficits. We compared the T1-weighted imaging findings with deficits of higher brain functions, evaluated by the performance subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. Thinning of the parietal and/or occipital white matter was noted in children with visuospatial cognitive deficits. Thus, MRI may be helpful in confirming early clinical suspicions of visuospatial cognitive deficits as well as motor deficits in preterm children, especially those with spastic diplegia.