title: Neurodevelopmental outcomes of children with periventricular leukomalacia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five children diagnosed with grade 1, 2 or 3 PVL on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings between January 2002 and December 2011 were enrolled and followed from 15 months to 10 years of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 25 children, one was a term and 24 were preterm-births. Nine (36%) had spastic diplegia and 12 (48%) had quadriplegia. Ten of the 25 (40%) were able to walk independently at 36 months utilizing short leg braces, whereas 13 children (52%) were unable to walk independently. MRI findings revealed grade 1 PVL in nine (36%), grade 2 in 12 (48%), and grade 3 in four (16%) of the 25 children. Eleven of the 16 children (69%) with grade 2 or 3 PVL had Papile III or IV intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and many of these children had severe neurologic motor abnormalities, severe psychomotor delay, and seizures. Five of the nine children (56%) with grade 1 PVL had normal psychomotor development. There were statistically significant differences in the motor impairment and walking ability between the children with grade 1 and those with grade 2 PVL (p = 0.008 and 0.005, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most children with grade 2 or 3 PVL had severe neurodevelopmental delays, but attention should also be paid to the 56% of children with grade 1 PVL who presented with normal psychomotor development. Further studies of larger populations, including long-term follow-up, are necessary to evaluate the outcomes of children with PVL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Takeda General Hospital, Aidu Wakamatsu City, Fukushima, Japan. Electronic address: ima@takeda.or.jp.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ariga
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibukawa
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Tomoo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujiki
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology
keywords: cerebral palsy (CP); magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); motor impairment; periventricular leukomalacia (PVL); walking ability