Magnetic resonance imaging measurements of corpus callosum in childhood; Determination of normative values

Abstract

Objective: Corpus callosum (CC) has an important role in ensuring the transfer of information between homologous regions of hemispheres. Radiological anatomy of CC may contribute to diagnostic evaluation in children with neurological or syndromic diseases. Although previous studies exit on the dimensions of CC in different populations, only a few examined the reference sizes of CC in childhood. The aim of this study was to identify the normal dimensions of CC sub-regions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in healthy children of all age groups and gender. Methods: Among 14 852 cranial MRI performed from 2011-2013, 2753 images of children aged between 0-18 years were acquired. After exclusions, 493 images (boys/girls; 246/247) were included. The thickness of the genu, corpus, isthmus, splenium and antero-posterior diameter of CC was measured on MRI. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Gulhane Military Medical Academy. Results: We demonstrated CC dimensions data of children from newborn to adolescent. Conclusions: We think that it is important to determine the reference values of CC dimensions in healthy children in order to detect any deviation from normal. It is thought that these data can be applied in clinical practice.