Abstract / Summary
Abstract Objective To investigate changes in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of auditory pathway fiber bundles in children with hearing impairment caused by bilirubin encephalopathy. Methods A total of 36 children with bilirubin encephalopathy and 36 control children were examined using a 3.0T superconducting magnetic resonance scanner (Siemens 3.0T Skyra, Siemens, Germany). DTI parameters, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD), were measured in the lateral lemniscus and inferior colliculus along the auditory pathway. These data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, and linear regression. Results Compared to the control group, children with hearing impairment demonstrated a significant decrease in FA(P < 0.0001) and a significant increase in RD(P < 0.0001). Additionally, a linear negative correlation was observed between FA values (R 2 = 0.7582, p < 0.0001) and auditory threshold in the inferior colliculus. However, no linear correlation was found between auditory threshold and other DTI parameters. Conclusion DTI-based fiber bundle imaging provides direct insight into the structure of white matter fiber bundles in the brain. The observed significant changes in DTI parameters among children with hearing impairment suggest damage or underdevelopment of the myelin sheath in white matter fiber bundles, although the overall integrity of fiber bundles and axons appears to remain intact.