Fig. 3

Tractographic reconstruction of segmented white matter. A single subject in each group exhibited the white matter integrity with FA threshold of 0.1. FA image registered on the JHU probabilistic maps (A) ~ (C) shows the gCC and sCC (A), CST (B), and ILF (C). Preterm with NEC showed shorter fibers toward occipital lobe than preterm without NEC at the sCC. In case of the CST, preterm with NEC exhibited smaller radiation range from cerebral peduncle to cerebral cortex (primary motor, premotor, somatosensory cortex). With respect to ILF, preterm with NEC had lesser fiber numbers toward the temporal lobe than the preterm without NEC. Compared to preterm infant without NEC, preterm with NEC (requiring surgery) had significant cognitive (58 points), language (45 points) and motor (40 points) impairment in 18 months of age. Abbreviations: FA, fractional anisotropy; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis; gCC, genu of corpus callosum; sCC, splenium of corpus callosum; CST, corticospinal tract; ILF, inferior longitudinal fasciculus