Abstract
Purpose: :
infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) may be present at birth but usually develops during infancy. The aim of this study was to present the results of MRI in the INS.
Methods: :
prospective study from 2000 to 2007 with inclusion of 75 patients presenting INS who also had cerebral MRI (average age of MRI: 12.50 months). Three groups of patients with INS were individualized: group 1 (n=34) - neurologic nystagmus (associated with neurological context: fetal suffering, psychomotor retardation, epilepsy.); group 2 (n=23) - sensory nystagmus (with disease of visual system), group 3 (n=18): isolated nystagmus (idiopathic and hereditary). Nystagmus (waveform, orientation) and MRI signs were analysed. MRI was read by a single neuroradiologist experienced in pediatric MRI (NG). MRI results were classified as follow: 1.ventricular dilatations, 2.enlarged subarachnoid and Virchow-Robin spaces, 3.white matter signal abnormalities, 4. hemispheric malformations (corpus callosum, septum pellucidum….), 5. brainstem abnormalities (including brainstem malformations), 6. cerebellar abnormalities.
Results: :
the mean age of the onset of nystagmus was 2.8 months. The nystagmus was always conjugate and mainly horizontal 75%, vertical 18%, torsional 7%. The waveform of the nystagmus was pendular in 58%, jerk in 24%, combined pendular-jerk in 18%. MRI showed: 1. ventricular dilatations in 63% (of whom the nystagmus was neurologic in 56%, sensory in 28%, isolated in 16%); 2. enlarged subarachnoid and Virchow-Robin spaces in 70% (of whom the 57% neurologic, 25% sensory, 18% isolated); 3. white matter signal abnormalities in 55 % (of whom the nystagmus was neurologic in 64%, sensory in 18%, isolated in 18%); 4. hemispheric malformations in 15% (of whom the nystagmus was neurologic in 84%, sensory in 16%); 5. brainstem abnormalities in 45% (of whom the nystagmus was neurologic in 56%, sensory in 25%, isolated in 19%); cerebellar abnormalities in 38% (of whom the nystagmus was neurologic in 80%, sensory in 7%, isolated in 13%). MRI results according to the three groups showed a statistical correlation between the percentage of pathological MRI and each type of group of patients.
Keywords: imaging/image analysis: clinical • nystagmus • visual impairment: neuro-ophthalmological disease