The relationship between visual function and radiological findings in children with cerebral visual impairment: Is clinical correlation possible with magnetic resonance specific scoring?

Our study aimed to evaluate visual function in children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI), to investigate the possible correlation of CVI with visual function using a semi-quantitative coding template on cranial magnetic resonance scans of these patients, and to compare these data with those of children without CVI. The study included 42 patients with cerebral visual impairment who were followed up at the Strabismus Unit of Hacettepe University Department of Ophthalmology and had cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 40 controls. Cranial MRI examination data of the patients were recorded blinded to the outcome of the visual assessment by two physicians from the Hacettepe University Department of Radiology and scored according to a standard radiologic template. Demographic data, ophthalmologic findings, and neurodevelopmental disorders of the groups were compared, and the relationship with MRI scores was evaluated. Data were analyzed with SPSS (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) software. As a result of our study, brain scans in children with congenital CVI showed that lesions were distributed in all regions. There was a correlation between disc pallor and thalamus score, eye movement limitation, and brainstem involvement in children with CVI. There was a correlation between BCVA and basal ganglia involvement, thalamus score, hemispheric score, total MRI score, and subcortical score. The contrast sensitivity test correlated with the total MRI and subcortical scores. It was thought that the correlation of visual disturbances with MRI scores would bring us closer to the diagnosis and provide us with the chance of early rehabilitation in these children whose diagnosis is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach.