Evaluating growth failure with diffusion tensor imaging in pediatric survivors of high-risk neuroblastoma treated with high-dose cis-retinoic acid

Jorge Delgado, Diego Jaramillo, Nancy A. Chauvin, Michelle Guo, Mackenzie S. Stratton, Hannah E. Sweeney, Christian A. Barrera, Sogol Mostoufi-Moab

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: The survival of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma has increased with multimodal therapy, but most survivors demonstrate growth failure. Objective: To assess physeal abnormalities in children with high-risk neuroblastoma in comparison to normal controls by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the distal femoral physis and adjacent metaphysis. Materials and methods: We prospectively obtained physeal DTI at 3.0 T in 20 subjects (mean age: 12.4 years, 7 females) with high-risk neuroblastoma treated with high-dose cis-retinoic acid, and 20 age- and gender-matched controls. We compared fractional anisotropy (FA), normalized tract volume (cm3/cm2) and tract concentration (tracts/cm2) between the groups, in relation to height Z-score and response to growth hormone therapy. Tractography images were evaluated qualitatively. Results: DTI parameters were significantly lower in high-risk neuroblastoma survivors compared to controls (P<0.01), particularly if the patients were exposed to both cis-retinoic acid and total body irradiation (P<0.05). For survivors and controls, DTI values were respectively [mean ± standard deviation]: tract concentration (tracts/cm2), 23.2±14.7 and 36.7±10.5; normalized tract volume (cm3/cm2), 0.44±0.27 and 0.70±0.21, and FA, 0.22±0.05 and 0.26±0.02. High-risk neuroblastoma survivors responding to growth hormone compared to non-responders had higher FA (0.25±0.04 and 0.18±0.03, respectively, P=0.02), and tract concentration (tracts/cm2) (31.4±13.7 and 14.8±7.9, respectively, P<0.05). FA, normalized tract volume and tract concentration were linearly related to height Z-score (R2>0.31; P<0.001). Qualitatively, tracts were nearly absent in all non-responders to growth hormone and abundant in all responders (P=0.02). Conclusion: DTI shows physeal abnormalities that correlate with short stature in high-risk neuroblastoma survivors and demonstrates response to growth hormone treatment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1056-1065
Number of pages10
JournalPediatric Radiology
Volume49
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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