Hemorrhage

Question: I have a son who was born in 32 weeks of pregnancy. He was admitted in the hospital (NICU) in 20 days. He also had cerebral hemorrhage. He is now 33 months old. His work is delayed. He walked at 21 months of age and does not talk now. He says Daddy, water and Ghagha. We took him to MRI and the result is given below. Is everything normal? What do we have?

MRI BRAIN
Technique:Axial T1, Axial T2, Axial FLAIR, coronal T1, sagittal T2.

REPORT:
There are multiple areas of incased signal intensity on T2 and FLAIR images within the deep cerebral white matter that could be periventricular leukomalacia. There is some fluid in the right mastoid air cells and tympanic cavity The interhemispheric fissure is centered on the midline. The cerebral ventricles are of normal size. The sella and pituitary are normal and parasellar structures are unremarkable. The cerebello pontine angle area appears normal on each side.

Answer: I am sorry to hear about your son's difficulties. Since your son had a cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain), he did sustain a brain injury. The MRI results indicate that he may have "periventricular leukomalacia" which is a form of brain injury that effects the white matter (pathways between rain structures) near the ventricles of the brain (fluid filled spaces that help to cushion and protect the brain). There is damage to these pathways and is probably what is causing the delays in your son. This condition affects newborns, primarily premature infants.

Here is a website that explains this condition in more detail: click here