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. 2023 Mar;23(1):686-692.
doi: 10.4314/ahs.v23i1.73.

Imaging of developmental delay in black African children: A hospital-based study in Yaoundé-Cameroon

Seraphin Nguefack  1 , Nasser Ndongafack Fongue  2 , Daniel Armand Kago Tague  1 , Ulrich Igor Mbessoh Kengne  2 , Jean Roger Mouliom Tapouh  3 , Félicitée Nguefack  1 , Andreas Chiabi  1 , Boniface Moifo  4
Affiliations

Imaging of developmental delay in black African children: A hospital-based study in Yaoundé-Cameroon

Seraphin Nguefack et al. Afr Health Sci. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to describe the anomalies observed on imaging for developmental delay in black African children.

Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study, which included children aged between 1 month to 6 years with developmental delay and had done a brain MRI and/or CT scan.

Results: We included 94 children, 60.6% of whom were males. The mean age was 32.5 ± 6.8 months. A history of perinatal asphyxia found in 55.3% of cases. According to the Denver developmental II scale, profound developmental delay observed in 35.1% of cases, and severe developmental delay in 25.5%. DD was isolated in 2.1% of cases and associated with cerebral palsy, pyramidal syndrome, and microcephaly in respectively 83%, 79.8%, and 46.8% of cases. Brain CT scan and MRI accounted for 85.1% and 14.9% respectively. The tests were abnormal in 78.7% of the cases, and cerebral atrophy was the preponderant anomaly (cortical atrophy = 80%, subcortical atrophy = 69.3%). Epileptic patients were 4 times more likely to have abnormal brain imaging (OR = 4.12 and p = 0.05),. We did not find a link between the severity of psychomotor delay and the presence of significant anomalies in imaging.

Conclusion: In our context, there is a high prevalence of organic anomalies in the imaging of psychomotor delay, which were dominated by cerebral atrophy secondary to hypoxic ischemic events.

Keywords: CT scan; brain MRI; children; developmental delay.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in relation to this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
diffuse cortico-cortical atrophy associated with multiple porencephalic cavities and cerebral softening
Figure 2
Figure 2
hydrocephalus, with sequential subependymal chain calcifications of cytomegalovirus embryofetopathy
Figure 3
Figure 3
Brain CT without injection in sagittal and axial parenchymal window: left cortical and subcortical parafalcoreal hypodensity, associated with colpocephaly, complete agenesis of the corpus callosum and agenesis of vermis
Figure 4
Figure 4
Brain MRI without contrast injection in axial section T1, T2 and FLAIR sequence: T2 and FLAIR hyperintensity of the deep white matter bilaterally and symmetrically and T1 hyposignal associated with corpus callosum involvement compatible with adrenoleukodystrophy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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