Morphometric Alterations in the Corpus Callosum of Stroke Patients by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the morphometric alterations of the corpus callosum in stroke patients using MRI in northern Iran. Methods: This case-control study was carried out on 40 right-handed men and women referring to an MRI center in Gorgan city, North of Iran. The subjects were divided into case and control groups. The case group included 20 male and female patients with stroke and the control group comprised 20 healthy people with no neurological signs and intracranial lesions on MRI. The widths of the rostrum, body, and splenium, the anterior to posterior length, and the maximum height of the corpus callosum were measured for each subject. The ratios of the body to length and body to the height of the corpus callosum were also calculated. Student’s unpaired t-test and regression analysis were used for data analysis at the significance level of 95%. Results: The mean width ± SD of the rostrum, splenium, and body of the corpus callosum was significantly lower in the stroke patients than in controls (9.84 ± 1.7 vs. 11.20 ± 1.3 mm, P = 0.01; 10.32 ± 1.9 vs. 11.98 ± 0.9 mm, P = 0.002; and 6.20 ± 1.0 vs. 6.84 ± 0.6 mm, P = 0.03, respectively). The widths of the rostrum, splenium, and body were significantly lower in male stroke patients than in controls (9.45 ± 1.7 vs. 11.65 ± 1.2 mm, P = 0.003; 9.6 ± 1.9 vs. 11.98 ± 0.8 mm, P = 0.003; and 5.64 ± 0.9 vs. 6.44 ± 0.7 mm, P = 0.05, respectively). However, these indices were not significantly lower in female stroke patients than in controls. Conclusions: This study showed that stroke reduces morphometric indices of the corpus callosum, particularly in the splenium of men.