Neonatal arterial stroke location is associated with outcome at 2 years: a voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping study

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition Vol. 107; no. 1; p. 45
• Main Authors: Núñez, Christian, Stephan-Otto, Christian, Arca, Gemma, Agut, Thais, Arnaez, Juan, Cordeiro, Malaika, Benavente-Fernández, Isabel, Boronat, Nuria, Lubián-López, Simón Pedro, Valverde, Eva, Hortigüela, Montesclaros, García-Alix, Alfredo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-01-2022
• Subjects: Brain Mapping - methods; Child, Preschool; Cognitive Dysfunction - etiology; Cognitive Dysfunction - therapy; Developmental Disabilities - etiology; Developmental Disabilities - therapy; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Ischemic Stroke - complications; Ischemic Stroke - diagnostic imaging; Ischemic Stroke - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Motor Disorders - etiology; Motor Disorders - therapy; Prospective Studies; Speech Disorders - etiology; Speech Disorders - therapy; Speech Therapy; neonatology; neurology
• ISSN: 1468-2052
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-320400

In contrast to motor impairments, the association between lesion location and cognitive or language deficits in patients with neonatal arterial ischaemic stroke remains largely unknown. We conducted a voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping cross-sectional study aiming to reveal neonatal arterial stroke location correlates of language, motor and cognitive outcomes at 2 years of age.
Prospective observational multicentre study.
Six paediatric university hospitals in Spain.
We included 53 patients who had a neonatal arterial ischaemic stroke with neonatal MRI and who were followed up till 2 years of age.
We analysed five dichotomous clinical variables: speech therapy (defined as the need for speech therapy as established by therapists), gross motor function impairment, and the language, motor and cognitive Bayley scales. All the analyses were controlled for total lesion volume.
We found that three of the clinical variables analysed significantly correlated with neonatal stroke location. Speech therapy was associated with lesions located mainly at the left supramarginal gyrus (p=0.007), gross motor function impairment correlated with lesions at the left external capsule (p=0.044) and cognitive impairment was associated with frontal lesions, particularly located at the left inferior and middle frontal gyri (p=0.012).
The identification of these susceptible brain areas will allow for more precise prediction of neurological impairments on the basis of neonatal brain MRI.