Magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with cerebral palsy in Duhok, Iraq: Case series

Aim: Magnetic resonance imaging is an important technique for evaluating structural abnormalities in the brain. Many neurologists and pediatricians refer cerebral palsy patients to conventional magnetic resonance imaging. The objective of this study was to assess magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with cerebral palsy and to research whether it can predict the etiology or pathogenesis of this disease. Methods: This case study was carried out at Azadi General Hospital from the 1st of July 2016 until the 28th of February 2017. A total of 48 patients who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy were included in the study. They all underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging under general anaesthesia, and results were compared statistically.  Results: The male to female ratio was 2.4:1. Magnetic resonance imaging was abnormal in 87.5%. Diffuse encephalopathy was seen in 56.2% of cases, periventricular leukomalacia was detected in 18.8%, changes of ischemic lesion were seen in 4.2 %, congenital malformations in 8.3% and normal scan was seen in 12.5% of cases. Among the clinical sub-types of cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia was the most common (47.9%), followed by spastic quadriplegia (35.4%), spastic hemiplegia (10.4%), and choreoathetoid cerebral palsy (6.3%).  Conclusions: This study concluded that brain changes in magnetic resonance imaging can detect the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy and is diagnostic in congenital brain malformations.