Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates long-term changes in brain structure in children born preterm and exposed to chorioamnionitis

Objective We sought to determine if children born preterm and exposed to chorioamnionitis have differences in brain structure measured at 6-10 years of age using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Study Design Structural MRI was performed with 11 preterm children (8.5 ± 1.7 years) with chorioamnionitis and 16 preterm children (8.7 ± 1.4 years) without chorioamnionitis. Cortical surface reconstruction and volumetric segmentation were performed with FreeSurfer image analysis software. Subcortical structures were analyzed using multivariate analysis. Results Widespread regional differences in cortical thickness were observed. With chorioamnionitis, the frontal and temporal lobes were primarily affected by decreased cortical thickness, and the limbic, parietal, and occipital lobes were primarily affected by increased cortical thickness when compared to the comparison group. Subcortical differences were observed in the hippocampus and lateral ventricle. Conclusion Using MRI, chorioamnionitis is associated with long-term widespread regional effects on brain development in children born prematurely. Our study is limited by its small sample size.