Background & Aim: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most
frequent congenital malformations. Children with CHD remain at risk
of neurodevelopmental impairment, characterized by mild cognitive
impairment, impaired social and communication skills, inattention and
later, deficits in executive function.This study aimed to characterize
brain lesions using MRI in CHD either cyanotic or acyanotic to assess
which lesions are associated more with brain injury. Methods: This
study was conducted on 30 infants with CHD from the cardiology
clinic and general ward at Benha University Hospitals. Patients were
subjected to full history taking, complete clinical assessment and
investigations as X-ray, Echocardiography and MRI brain. Results: In
our study, 20% of CHD infants had brain injury on MRI assessment.
The most frequent brain injury was arterial ischemic stroke (20%),
followed by white matter injury (6.7%), cerebellar hypoplasia (3.3%),
and hypoxic injury (3.3%). There was a statistically significant
difference between cyanotic and acyanotic heart diseases regarding
brain lesions. There was no statistically significant difference in brain lesions regarding type of
cardiac lesion. Conclusion: MRI provides a good screening method in the detection of brain
lesions in infants with CHD, helping to improve the cognitive functions and skills in these
patients.