Thesis
Segmentation and Analysis of MRIs of Infants with Dysphagia
(2015)
Abstract
Neonates are at a rapid stage of development from birth throughout childhood. Impairments to certain cortical areas can result in long lasting neuro-cognitive dysfunctions. Disorders to the swallowing neural pathways can have detrimental effects throughout life course since methods to provide nutrition can be comprised. Dysphagia, or the inability to swallow, can be caused by a multitude of reasons, chiefly neurological, but the underlying disruptions to the neural pathways are not defined. In this study we investigated the growth of multiple cortical areas involved in the swallowing pathway and categorized feeding outcomes with neural growth. Results showed that infants that were discharged on oral feeds had higher growth rates compared to those that had a feeding tube implanted. This is the first study to look at volumetric analysis for neonates with feeding issues.
Keywords
- neonates,
- infants,
- brain,
- feeding,
- disorder,
- dysphagia,
- neurological,
- imaging
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter January 23, 2015
Degree
Master of Science in Engineering (MSEgr)
Department
Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering
Advisor
Nasser Kashou
Citation Information
Irfaan Akram Dar. "Segmentation and Analysis of MRIs of Infants with Dysphagia" (2015) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/nasser_kashou/37/