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| photo from http://brainmadesimple.com/corpus-callosum.html |
When Lane was born we knew right away there was a problem with his breathing. It wasn't until after thorough testing to find a cause for the breathing problem, we were told that he also has two brain abnormalities. Up until recently we have been told that his brain abnormalities are not related to the problem with his vocal cords. Within the last month we had our first doctor's visit where the doctor said the two issues are, in fact, related. We don't really know what to do with that information since it is contrary to what we have always been told. It doesn't change anything either way, so we haven't spent a lot of time fixating on that change of information. A few months back I did notice that about 4-5 other kids from the Vocal Cord Paralysis Facebook group also have one of the same brain abnormalities that Lane has. Interesting...
One of the two of Lane's brain diagnoses is called Corpus Callosum Hypoplasia. This is the definition given by the website National Organization of Disorders of the Corpus Callosum: (I hyperlinked the website in case you don't already have it bookmarked.😜)
Hypoplasia of the Corpus Callosum Hypoplasia refers to a thin corpus callosum. On a mid-line view of the brain, the structure may extend through the entire area front-to-back as would a typical corpus callosum, but it looks notably thinner. It is unclear in this case if the callosal nerve fibers are fully functional and just limited in number, or if they are both less plentiful and more dysfunctional.
Basically that is saying, the mid-line of Lane's brain (the Corpus Callosum) is thinner than what it should be. It did not fully grow.
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| Lane's MRI |
Typically these abnormalities cannot be detected in fetal ultrasounds unless they are very late term, 38-40 weeks. If Lane hadn't had a breathing problem at birth we still may not know that Lane is missing part of his Corpus Callosum.
Lane's neurologist hasn't been able to give us much of an idea as to what this means for Lane's future. She said that she has some patients missing their entire Corpus Callosum that are completely asymptomatic, while others are only missing part of the structure and have many developmental delays. Some adults are walking around with abnormalities they don't know they have because they have never had an MRI.
We know that a deformation of the Corpus Callosum typically causes cognitive and motor delays. We know he is behind with his motor skills. We won't know about his cognitive ability until later. Vision problems are also very common with this diagnosis, hence his crossed eyes. Seizures are common. Thankfully he hasn't had one. We are SO thankful for that.
Only time will tell. This diagnosis has qualified Lane for multiple therapies. He has made some significant strides. We continue to work with him to defy the odds set against him. The unknown is a scary. All we can do is take life one day at a time and count our blessings.
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| He sure is handsome! |
