Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Delayed Milestones Associated with Additional Clinical Features in Pediatric Patients

Background: Rare, but the delay in the process of achieving milestones has a devastating effect,with a vast number of etiologies associated with it. This study aimed to identify the brain MRIfindings in patients showing additional clinical features with developmental delay and thedevelopment of a correlation between clinical findings and MRI findings.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 22 patients with developmental delay at LiaquatUniversity of Medical and Health Sciences, Hyderabad, from August 2022 to August 2024, usingnon-probability consecutive sampling. Clinical histories, examinations, and brain MRIs using a1.5 Tesla scanner were conducted. Data were analyzed in SPSS v26. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test were applied, and a p-value <0.05 was considered statisticallysignificant for associations between clinical features and MRI findings.Results: The study included 22 patients, evenly distributed between genders (11 males and 11females). The majority, 10 (45.5%), were aged 2–5 years. The most common clinicalmanifestations were epilepsy (14, 63.6%, p = 0.01), gait disturbance (13, 59.1%, p = 0.03), grossdevelopmental delay (9, 40.9%, p = 0.04), visual and auditory disturbances (7, 31.8%, p = 0.02),motor disturbances (7, 31.8%, p = 0.05), neurological deficits (7, 31.8%, p = 0.04), and speechdeformities (6, 27.3%, p = 0.03). Some cases also had associated radiological abnormalities. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Conclusion: Patients of delayed milestones that are exposing additional clinical features arelikely to have some kind of abnormalities on MRI scan despite of their etiological variables.