Angular analysis of corpus callosum in 18 patients with frontonasal dysplasia

Automatic Extraction of the Centerline of Corpus Callosum from Segmented Mid-Sagittal MR Images

The centerline, as a simple and compact representation of object shape, has been used to analyze variations of the human callosal shape. However, automatic extraction of the callosal centerline remains a sophisticated problem. In this paper, we propose a method of automatic extraction of the callosal centerline from segmented mid-sagittal magnetic resonance (MR) images. A model-based point matching method is introduced to localize the anterior and posterior endpoints of the centerline. The model of the endpoint is constructed with a statistical descriptor of the shape context. Active contour modeling is adopted to drive the curve with the fixed endpoints to approximate the centerline using the gradient of the distance map of the segmented corpus callosum. Experiments with 80 segmented mid-sagittal MR images were performed. The proposed method is compared with a skeletonization method and an interactive method in terms of recovery error and reproducibility. Results indicate that the proposed method outperforms skeletonization and is comparable with and sometimes better than the interactive method.

Malformations of Cortical Development in Patients with Midline Facial Defects and Ocular Hypertelorism

Objectives

We studied the neuroimaging and neurophysiological aspects of 17 patients with midline facial defects with ocular hypertelorism (MFDH).

Methods

The investigation protocol included a previous semistructured questionnaire about family history; gestational, neonatal, and postnatal development; and dysmorphologic and neurologic evaluation. Recognized monogenic disorders and individuals with other well-known conditions were excluded. All patients had high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and routine electroencephalograms (EEGs).

Results

We detected abnormalities in five patients whose MRIs had been previously reported as normal. MRI showed central nervous system (CNS) structural abnormalities in all patients, which included commissural alterations in 16/17 (94%), malformations of cortical development in 10/17 (58%), disturbances of neural tube closure in 7/17 (42%), and posterior fossa anomalies in 6/17 (35%). Some patients had more than one type of malformation occurring at different stages of the embryonary process. EEGs showed epileptiform activity in 4/17 (24%) and background abnormalities in 5/17 (29%) of patients.

Conclusion

This study clearly demonstrated the presence of structural and functional neurologic alterations related to MFDH. Therefore, the CNS anomalies cannot be considered incidental findings but an intrinsic part of this condition, which could be related to environmental effects and/or genetic mutations. These findings would provide a basis for future investigations on MFDH and should also be considered when planning rehabilitation.

Frontonasal dysplasia, severe neuropsychological delay, and midline central nervous system anomalies: report of 10 Brazilian male patients

Here we report on 10 male patients with frontonasal dysplasia, cleft lip/palate, mental retardation, lack of language acquisition, and severe central nervous system involvement. Imaging studies disclosed absence of the corpus callosum, midline cysts, and an abnormally modeled cerebellum. Neuronal heterotopias were present in five patients and parieto-occipital encephalocele in three patients. We suggest that this pattern found exclusively in males, most likely represents a newly recognized syndrome distilled from the group of disorders subsumed under frontonasal dysplasia.

A clinical study of 31 individuals with midline facial defects with hypertelorism and a guideline for follow-up

In order to contribute to clinical delineation of midline facial defects with hypertelorism (MFDH) and to etiologic diagnosis of the isolated form, 31 patients with MFDH unaffected by known syndromic associations were evaluated. Group A included patients personally examined by the authors, while Group B included those previously evaluated by other geneticists. Among the 14 patients from Group A, there were 7 with distinct pictures of multiple congenital anomalies. In Group B, 5 of the 17 patients also exhibited a distinct pattern of defects. Among isolated MFDH, there was association with anomalies of the skull and facial bones (13/14), otorhinologic (11/16), central nervous system (9/16), and ocular (6/7), and audiologic (3/16); 1/3 of the cases had a relevant gestational intercurrences. Isolated FNM may have involvement of environmental components in some cases; the possibility of a syndromic picture should be extensive investigated. Follow-up of such patients must include the examinations herein performed.

Central nervous system abnormalities on midline facial defects with hypertelorism detected by magnetic resonance image and computed tomography

The aim of this study were to describe and to compare structural central nervous system (CNS) anomalies detected by magnetic resonance image (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) in individuals affected by midline facial defects with hypertelorism (MFDH) isolated or associated with multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). The investigation protocol included dysmorphological examination, skull and facial X-rays, brain CT and/or MRI. We studied 24 individuals, 12 of them had an isolated form (Group I) and the others, MCA with unknown etiology (Group II). There was no significative difference between Group I and II and the results are presented in set. In addition to the several CNS anomalies previously described, MRI (n=18) was useful for detection of neuronal migration errors. These data suggested that structural CNS anomalies and MFDH seem to have an intrinsic embryological relationship, which should be taken in account during the clinical follow-up.

Midline facial defects with hypertelorism and low-grade astrocytoma: a previously undescribed association

We report on a child with midline facial defects with hypertelorism (MFDH), median cleft lip, sphenoidal ventriculocele, partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, and low-grade astrocytoma in the cervicomedullary junction. This combination of findings has not been reported previously. Although this association might be casual, it demonstrates a relationship between disorders of frontonasal process and posterior fossae. It also suggests that individuals with MFDH might require a prospective follow-up with central nervous system magnetic resonance imaging.