Relationship between brain structure and Cerebral Visual Impairment in children with Cerebral Palsy: A systematic review

Swetha Sara Philip; Andrea Guzzetta; Olena Chorna; Glen Gole; Roslyn N Boyd

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103580

Relationship between brain structure and Cerebral Visual Impairment in children with Cerebral Palsy: A systematic review

Res Dev Disabil. 2020 Jan 28:99:103580. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103580. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Swetha Sara Philip¹, Andrea Guzzetta², Olena Chorna³, Glen Gole⁴, Roslyn N Boyd⁵

Affiliations

¹ The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Centre for Children's Health Research, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: swetha.philip@uq.edu.au.
² Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
³ Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
⁴ Dept of Ophthalmology, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
⁵ The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Centre for Children's Health Research, Brisbane, Australia.

PMID: 32004872
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103580

Abstract

Background: Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) is very common yet often unrecognised visual dysfunction in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the diagnostic tool in the investigation of brain lesions in children with CP and CVI.

Aim: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the relationship between brain structure and CVI, as determined by MRI in children with CP.

Methods and procedures: A comprehensive search of 5 database (PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL and Cochrane Database) was undertaken up until June 2019. The PRISMA checklist was then utilised to report on the process of selecting eligible papers. A total of 30 observational studies met the full inclusion criteria. Further, STROBE checklist was employed to report on the observational studies.

Outcomes and results: Periventricular leucomalacia on MRI was found to have a strong association with CVI in all 30 studies. Only 13 (43 %) studies described dorsal and/ ventral stream dysfunction. There was ambiguity in the definition of CVI.

Conclusions and implications: The overall level of evidence correlating different patterns of CVI and CP (based on GMFCS, motor type and distribution) and MRI was low. Further studies utilising advances in MRI are needed to understand brain reorganisation and patterns of CVI and suggest rehabilitation therapy inclusive of vision.

Keywords: Brain structure and function; Cerebral palsy; Cerebral visual impairment; Children; Magnetic resonance imaging.

Publication types

Review