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Magnetization transfer ratio in the brain of preterm subjects: age-related changes during the first 2 years of life

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Abstract

To study the progress of myelination in preterm-born subjects by measuring the MT ratio (MTR) from birth, up to 24 months of corrected age.One hundred twenty-five preterm subjects (64 males and 61 females of gestational age 33±2.4 weeks with chronologic and corrected age of 9.3±5.1 and 7.7±5.1 months, respectively) with normal brain MR using classic sequences were further evaluated for MTR by using a three-dimensional gradient-echo sequence (TR=32/TE=8/flip angle=6° 4 mm/2 mm overlapping sections) with and without magnetization transfer prepulse. The magnetization transfer ratio was calculated as: MTR=(SIo-SIm)/SIo×100%, where SIm refers to signal intensity from an image acquired with a MT prepulse and SIo the signal intensity from the image acquired without a MT prepulse. MTR increased asymptotically in the genu (R2=0.85) and splenium (R2=0.85) of the corpus callosum, the white matter of the frontal lobe (R2=0.91) and occipital lobe (R2=0.82), thalamus (R2=0.86), caudate nucleus (R2=0.67) and putamen (R2=0.71), reaching the 95% of the final value at the corrected age 18.7, 17.7, 15.6, 12.9, 10.4, 9.2 and 6.4 months, respectively. This study shows age-related changes of the brain MTR and provides data that may be useful to assess disturbances in the progress of myelination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Vassilios Xydis, Loukas Astrakas, Anastasia Zikou & Maria I. Argyropoulou

  2. Neonatology Clinic, Child Health Department, Medical School University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Kostandina Pantou & Styliani Andronikou

Authors
  1. Vassilios Xydis
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  2. Loukas Astrakas
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  3. Anastasia Zikou
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  4. Kostandina Pantou
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  5. Styliani Andronikou
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  6. Maria I. Argyropoulou
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Correspondence to Maria I. Argyropoulou.

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Xydis, V., Astrakas, L., Zikou, A. et al. Magnetization transfer ratio in the brain of preterm subjects: age-related changes during the first 2 years of life. Eur Radiol 16, 215–220 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2796-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2796-8

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