II. Findings:
1) Abnormal diffusion restriction - this would be an indication of some type of physical blockage in the movement of cerebrospinal fluid, most likely a tumor.
2) The lateral ventricles are spaces in the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid. Intellectual impairment in hydroencephalus is usually the result of damage from the abnormal expansion of the ventricles because of a build-up of too much CSF.
3) The next 3 sentences deal with white matter, which is composed of the structural brain cells, called glial cells, and myelinated axons, which transmit signals between regions of the brain. Paucity means lack of quantity or insufficiency, and I'll explain that further at the bottom. The corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres of the brain. Proper myelination formation/pattern means that your son does not have a neurodegenerative condition like multiple sclerosis, nor does he have a genetic defect that would cause dysfunctional growth of white matter.
4) The parenchyma are the functional parts of an organ, in general.
III. Impression:
- Mild lateral ventriculomegaly essentially indicates the presence of slightly oversized ventricles; however, because there was no indication of blockage, there is no evidence of hydroencephalus. Infant hydroencephalus is fairly easy to detect because of the abnormally large head size. Hydroencephalus is a developmental disorder that usually results in significant retardation if left untreated. Thankfully, your son shows no signs of it.
- A slight paucity of supratentorial white matter essentially means that the cerebrum is slightly under-weight for a child of your son's age. The cerebrum is the high brain, composed of the 4 lobes, and it is actually not all that uncommon for people to have differing brain weight in this region. Most people don't realize that it is common for parts of the brain to grow and shrink based on environmental conditions. This is especially true for children.