Grey Matter Brain Injuries Are Common in Ugandan Children with Cerebral Palsy Suggesting a Perinatal Aetiology in Full-Term Infants

There is limited literature on brain imaging studies of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in low and middle income countries. We investigated neuroimaging patterns of children with CP attending a tertiary referral centre in Uganda to determine how they differed from studies reported from high income countries and their relationship with prenatal and postnatal factors.Precontrast and postcontrast computed tomography (CT) scans of 78 CP children aged 2–12 years were conducted using a Philips MX 16-slice CT scanner. Two radiologists, blinded to the patient's clinical status, independently reviewed the scans.Abnormal CT scans were detected in 69% of the children sampled, with very few having primary white matter injuries (4%). Primary grey matter injuries (PGMI) (44%) and normal scans (31%) were most frequent. Children with a history of hospital admission following birth were three times more likely to have PGMI (odds ratio [OR] 2.8; 95% CI 1.1–7.1), suggesting a perinatal period with medical complications.Brain imaging patterns in this group of CP children differed markedly from imaging studies reported from high income countries, suggesting a perinatal aetiology in full-term infants and reduced survival in preterm infants.

Keywords

Cerebral palsy, Children, Computed tomography scans, Grey matter injury, Uganda

Citation

Kakooza‐Mwesige, A., Byanyima, R. K., Tumwine, J. K., Eliasson, A. C., Forssberg, H., & Flodmark, O. (2016). Grey matter brain injuries are common in Ugandan children with cerebral palsy suggesting a perinatal aetiology in full‐term infants. Acta Paediatrica, 105(6), 655-664.https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.13352

URI

https://nru.uncst.go.ug/xmlui/handle/123456789/2361

Collections

Medical and Health Sciences

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