Abstract：Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether specific associated brain abnormalities may be related to the location of periventricular nodular heterotopia(PNH) assessed by MR imaging. Methods: MR images of 40 patients previously diagnosed as PNH were retrospectively analyzed. Relationship between the location, numbers and sides of PNH and associated brain abnormalities were tested by using χ2 test. Results: Of the 40 PNH cases, anterior PNH(aPNH) was found in 12 patients(30%), posterior PNH(pPNH) in 13(32.5%), and diffuse PNH(dPNH) in 15(37.5%), cortical malformations were present in 18 patients. Associated cortical malformations were significantly more frequent in pPNH(92.3%) compared with aPNH(8.3%) and dPNH(33.3%), there were significant differences among the three groups(P<0.001). Abnormalities of the corpus callosum present in 9 patients, 5 cases in dPNH, 3 cases in pPNH and 1 case in aPNH, there were significant difference among the three groups(P<0.05). Reduced volume of cerebral white matter was noticed in 17 patients. A significant difference in the incidence of reduced white matter volume was found between aPNH(16.7%) and pPNH(53.8%, P<0.05) and between aPNH and dPNH(53.3%, P<0.05). Conclusion: PNH occurs in different locations that tend to be associated with different types of malformations. Among these location, pPNH is particularly distinct because of its significant association with malformations of the cerebral cortex and anomalies of corpus callosum.
2014, Vol. 25 
