Article

AIM: To describe the development of a novel rating scale for classification of
brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children with cerebral palsy
(CP) and to assess its interrater and intrarater reliability.
METHOD: The scale
consists of three sections. Section 1 contains descriptive information about the
patient and MRI. Section 2 contains the graphical template
of brain hemispheres
onto which the lesion is transposed. Section 3 contains the scoring system for
the quantitative analysis of the lesion characteristics, grouped into different
global scores and subscores that assess separately side, regions, and depth. A
larger interrater and intrarater reliability study was performed in 34 children
with CP (22 males, 12 females; mean age at scan of 9y 5mo [SD 3y 3mo], range
4y-16y 11mo; Gross Motor Function Classification System level I, [n=22], II
[n=10], and level III [n=2]). RESULTS: Very high interrater and intrarater
reliability of the total score was found with indices above 0.87. Reliability
coefficients of the lobar and hemispheric subscores ranged between 0.53 and 0.95.
Global scores for hemispheres, basal ganglia, brain stem, and corpus callosum
showed reliability coefficients above 0.65. INTERPRETATION: This study presents
the first visual, semi-quantitative scale for classification of brain structural
MRI in children with CP.
The high degree of reliability of the scale supports its
potential application for investigating the relationship between brain structure
and function and examining treatment response according to brain lesion severity
in children with CP.
CI - (c) 2014 Mac Keith Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS