Assessing sequence and relationship of regional maturation in corpus callosum and internal capsule in preterm and term newborns by diffusion-tensor imaging

BackgroundDiffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to investigate water diffusion in living tissue.ObjectiveTo investigate sequence and relationship of regional maturation in corpus callosum (CC) and internal capsule (IC) in preterm and term.MethodsDTI was performed on 11 preterm infants at less than 37 weeks of corrected gestational age (group I), 21 preterm infants at equivalent-term (group II), 11 term infants during neonatal period (group III). Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured in: anterior limb of IC (ALIC), posterior limb of IC (PLIC), genu and splenium of CC.ResultsFA in splenium was more than that in other regions except genu of group I. Differences of FA between genu and PLIC were significant only in group III. ADC in genu was more than that in other regions but in splenium of groups I and II. Differences of ADC between splenium and ALIC were insignificant except group II. Higher FA and lower ADC in PLIC were gotten compared with those in ALIC. Correlations of FA and of ADC existed in CC and IC.ConclusionMaturation sequence was splenium followed by genu, then by PLIC and last by ALIC in term at neonatal period. Genu's maturation in preterm at equivalent-term was hindered. Regional maturation's correlations existed in CC and IC.