J Korean Child Neurol Soc.  2003 May;11(1):61-67.

Comparative Study for the Diagnostic Usefulness of Brain MRI and CT in Children with Seizure

• Shin SA
• Kim DK
• Park HK
• Kim NS
• Seol IJ

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was performed to know and compare the diagnostic usefulness of Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) and Computed Tomography(CT) for the evaluation of patients with seizure.
METHODS
We studied retrospectively 96 children who visited Hanyang University Hospital due to seizure and took a brain CT between January 1996 and June 1999, and 60 children who visited Hanyang University Hospital due to seizure and took a brain MRI between June 1999 and March 2002. All children who were enrolled in this study divided into few groups according to seizure type and EEG findings.
RESULTS
Among 96 children who took a brain CT, 12 patients had brain abnormalities on CT, and among 60 children took a brain MRI, 13 patients had brain abnormalities on MRI. Abnormalities on CT were more frequently seen in children with focal seizure and/or focal abnormalities on EEG, but contrarily in MRI, abnormalities were more frequently seen in children with generalized seizure.
CONCLUSION
Even the MRI is more expensive to be taken than the CT, MRI isrecommended when there is a need to evaluate the causes of seizures even for thepatients with generalized seizure as a result of our study.

Keyword

Magnetic resonance imaging; Computed tomography; Diagnostic usefulness; Generalized seizure

MeSH Terms

Brain*
Child*
Electroencephalography
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Retrospective Studies
Seizures*