title: Dilatation of Virchow-Robin spaces in children hospitalized at pediatric neurology department.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Dilated Virchow-Robin spaces (dVRs) have been revealed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with various neurological disorders. However, their etiology and clinical importance have not been discovered yet. The aim of the study was to estimate dVRs occurrence in hospitalized children and determine dVRs localization and their association with different nervous system diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Contrast-enhanced brain MRI examinations with the use of 1.5T GE device were performed in children with different diseases of nervous system, who were hospitalized at Pediatric Neurology Department, Chair of Children and Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University in the years 2010-2011. The mean age of examined children was 11.58 years, and the studied group included 27 boys and 26 girls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within two years, MRI examinations of the brain were performed in 1348 children and dVRs were found in 53 of them (3.93%). Among children with dVRs, 15 were diagnosed with headache (28.3%) and 18 with epilepsy (33.96%). Other diagnoses were less frequent and occurred in 37.7%. Generalized dVRs and those localized in the subcortical nuclei were most frequently found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher incidence of dVRs was found in children with headache and epilepsy. No association was found between localization of dVRs and symptomatology of different nervous system diseases except for large dVRs probably due to the pressure on the surrounding tissues.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Children and Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Krakow, Poland. Electronic address: aganow7@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biedroń
authors.affiliation: Chair of Children and Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steczkowska
authors.affiliation: Chair of Children and Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubik
authors.affiliation: Chair of Children and Adolescent Neurology, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaciński
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002539:Cerebral Arterial Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology*; D004421:Dystonia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010841:Pia Mater / Q000473:pathology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013346:Subarachnoid Space / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Children; Magnetic resonance; Virchow–Robin spaces