Study of the correlation of brainstem auditory evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in children with spastic cerebral palsy

STUDY OF THE CORRELATION OF BRAINSTEM AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN CHILDREN WITH SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY (ABSTRACT)^*. THESIS. SÃO PAULO, 1999.

LISETE PESSOA DE OLIVEIRA FOBE^**

Central auditory evaluation in 21 children with cerebral palsy was done with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and correlated with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings; 12 boys and 9 girls between 5 and 12 years old were studied. All children had follow-up at the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP). The control group was done with 17 children, 10 boys and 7 girls (mean age 8.06 years, SD 2.27 years).

The BAEP abnormalities were: decrease of latency of wave V; decrease of latency III-V and I-V intervals at the right side.

All patients had MRI supratentorial abnormalities and 11 had brainstem atrophy. The MRI pathologic findings were: ventricular enlargement (n=17 or 80.95%), cortical/subcortical atrophy (n=15 or 71.42%), left brainstem atrophy (n=11 or 52.38%), periventricular leukomalacia (n=10 or 47.61%), infarction in the left middle cerebral artery territory (n=6 or 28.57%), and malformations such as schizencephaly and colpocephaly (n=5 or 23.80%).

The findings of the decrease latencies in children with cerebral palsy suggest the contribution of decussating auditory fibers at the lower and upper pons and midbrain, the lack of homogeneity of the surrounding volume of the conductor fibers and the presence of several concurrently active potential generators sources, should be facilitating mechanisms for the nervous input to brainstem.

KEYWORDS: cerebral palsy, brainstem auditory evoked potentials, magnetic resonance imaging.

**Address: Rua Antonio de Macedo Soares 1419, 04607-003 São Paulo SP, Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]

*

Estudo da correlação entre potencial evocado auditivo do tronco cerebral e ressonância magnética de crânio em crinças com paralisia cerebral espástica (Resumo). Tese de Doutorado, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (Área: Otorrinolaringologia). Orientador: Ricardo Ferreira Bento.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  03 Apr 2000
• Date of issue
  Dec 1999