Disrupted Frontal Connections in Band Heterotopia Mapped by Diffusion Tensor Tractography

Purpose:To examine white matter abnormalities in band heterotopia (BHT) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Patients and Methods:A 17-year-old female with BHT was scanned and white matter fiber tracts were mapped using three-dimensional DTI-based tractography.Results:Fragmented fibers were found in the patient’s prefrontal lobe and association cortex, most of which were not comparable to healthy controls. Furthermore, fibers in the corpus callosum were sparse, and the majority of the inner white matter fibers were stemmed from heterotopic gray matter.Conclusion:The results suggest that the inner heterotopic gray matter may play some role in brain function and that there is altered fiber organization in the frontal regions of BHT.