Department of Neuroradiology, Neurological University Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Center for Radiology dia.log, Vinzenz-von-Paul Str. 8, 84503, Altötting, Germany.
Clin Neuroradiol. 2020 Dec;30(4):671-677. doi: 10.1007/s00062-019-00834-9. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
To determine normative morphological and functional magnetic resonance (MR) neurography values in children and adolescents in correlation to demographic determinants.
In this study 29 healthy underage subjects (mean age 13.9 years, range 10-17 years) were examined using a standardized MR neurography protocol of the lumbosacral plexus and the right lower extremity at 3 T. Volumes of the dorsal root ganglia L3-S2, cross-sectional area of the sciatic and tibial nerves, as well as T2-weighted contrast nerve-muscle ratio and quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) values of the sciatic nerve were obtained and correlated with the demographic parameters sex, age, height and weight.
While all obtained morphological and functional MR neurography values did not differ between male and female sex, dorsal root ganglia volume, sciatic and tibial nerve cross-sectional area correlated positively with age, height, and weight. The T2-weighted signal of the sciatic nerve was independent of demographic determinants. Negative correlation was found for fractional anisotropy (FA) with age, height, and weight, whereas radial diffusivity (RD) showed a positive correlation only with age. Mean diffusivity (MD) and axial diffusivity (AD) revealed no correlation with demographic determinants.
The results of this study suggest that selection of sex-matched controls for further studies assessing peripheral nerve pathologies in underage patients may not be necessary; however, control subjects should be adapted to age, height, and weight of the patient population, especially if assessing dorsal root ganglia volume, nerve cross-sectional area and DTI.
确定儿童和青少年正常形态和功能磁共振（MR）神经成像值与人口统计学决定因素的相关性。
本研究对 29 名健康未成年受试者（平均年龄 13.9 岁，范围 10-17 岁）进行了检查，使用标准化的腰骶丛和右侧下肢 3T MR 神经成像方案。获得了 L3-S2 背根神经节容积、坐骨神经和胫神经横截面积、T2 加权对比神经-肌肉比以及坐骨神经定量扩散张量成像（DTI）值，并与性别、年龄、身高和体重等人口统计学参数相关。
尽管所有获得的形态和功能 MR 神经成像值在男性和女性之间没有差异，但背根神经节容积、坐骨神经和胫神经横截面积与年龄、身高和体重呈正相关。坐骨神经的 T2 加权信号与人口统计学决定因素无关。各向异性分数（FA）与年龄、身高和体重呈负相关，而径向扩散系数（RD）仅与年龄呈正相关。平均扩散系数（MD）和轴向扩散系数（AD）与人口统计学决定因素无相关性。
本研究结果表明，对于评估未成年患者周围神经病变的进一步研究，选择性别匹配的对照组可能没有必要；然而，对照受试者应适应患者人群的年龄、身高和体重，特别是在评估背根神经节容积、神经横截面积和 DTI 时。
