A comparative MRI-based morphometric study of the corpus callosum in term and preterm infants

A comparative morphometric study was performed with MRI brain scans of term- and preterm-born infants. The structural characteristics of the brain were analyzed using conventional morphometric indices, and a novel quantitative parameter, the corpus callosum coefficient (kCC), was introduced based on patterns of the prenatal cortex ontogeny. All these quantitative indices reflected anatomical features of the preterm brain. It was found that reduced kCC values in preterm infants were associated with an altered proportion between the rostral and caudal segments of the corpus callosum. The threshold kCC value was established that allowed significant discrimination between the brains of full-term and preterm infants.