Hypothalamic dysfunction revealed by magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging in childhood leukemia survivors treated with cranial radiotherapy but not in craniopharyngeoma survivors

• Background: Metabolic complications with obesity are frequent in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors treated with cranial radiotherapy (CRT). Childhood onset Craniopharyngioma (CP) survivors without hypothalamic (HT) involvement are spared gross obesity. Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides information of microstructure function of the brain and quantified as fractional anisotrophy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial and radial diffusivity (AD, RD). Since MD in HT is reportedly impaired (increased) in obese compared to non-obese subjects, we investigated DTI in the HT.Methods: Twenty nine ALL survivors on hormone supplementation were investigated 34 years after CRT (24 Gy). 17 CO-CP survivors with hormone supplementation but without HT damage were investigated. Comparisons were made with these two patient populations to 27 matched controls regarding DTI parameters in the HT and for BMI, fat mass, fat free mass and waist/hip measurements.Results: We recorded reduced FA (0.27 vs 0.29, P=0.04), and increased MD (1.13 vs 1.00, P<0.001), AD (1.41 vs 1.25, P<0.001), and RD (0.99 vs 0.86, P<0.001) in the right HT and increased MD (1.42 vs 1.25, P<0.001), AD (1.75 vs 1.58, P<0.001), and RD (1.25 vs 1.04, P<0.001) in left HT in ALL survivors compared to matched controls. The CPs showed no difference in the HT for these parameters compared to controls. ALL survivors with a BMI ≥ 25 showed elevated MD (P=0.03) and AD (P=0.02) compared to ALL survivors with a BMI < 25 and compared to controls with BMI ≥ 25 in the right HT. This was not the case in CP survivors or in controls.Conclusions: Thirty four years after CRT for ALL, DTI measures are deranged in the HT. ALL survivors with a BMI ≥ 25 were presented with worse HT dysfunction. CP survivors were unaffected. The present data suggests changes in the microstructure of the HT in these ALL survivors.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Endokrinologi och diabetes (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Endocrinology and Diabetes (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Neurologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Neurology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Radiologi och bildbehandling (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

kon (subject category)

ref (subject category)