222 Brain Volumetry in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease: pre- and Post-Surgery Assessments Compared to Healthy Controls

Background and aims MRI studies in neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) have demonstrated delayed brain maturation and mostly focal brain injury. To better define the distribution of cerebral injuries and regional brain growth in neonates with CHD, we compared volumetric measures from pre- and postoperative MRI of patients to healthy neonates. Methods Cerebral MRIs of 32 term-born CHD patients, scanned before and after heart surgery (mean age: 6.8 days and 26.8 days, respectively), were manually segmented to measure volumes of total, grey and white matter and of selected brain regions. Results were compared with MRIs of 17 healthy term born neonates (mean age: 23.5 days). Results Between pre- and postoperative MRI, patients showed significant brain growth, especially in the cortical grey matter (0.25%/day), cerebellum (0.20%/day), and deep gray matter structures (0.10–0.15%/day, all p