What Oklahoma City Parents Need to Know
It’s a phrase that can send a chill through any parent: “Your baby’s MRI wasn’t normal.”
Sometimes, that sentence comes after days—or weeks—of medical confusion. Sometimes it’s the first clue that something went wrong during labor and delivery.
What’s often left unsaid is this: abnormal MRI findings in newborns may not just be tragic—they may be preventable.
At Van Wey, Metzler & Williams, we represent Oklahoma City families whose children have suffered serious birth injuries. We are here to investigate the “why” behind those abnormal scans and to help families find the answers and justice they deserve.
What Does an Abnormal MRI Mean?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the most advanced tools available to assess an infant’s brain health. It provides detailed images of brain tissue and can reveal:
Areas of damage due to lack of oxygen (commonly caused by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE)
Signs of bleeding or stroke
Malformations in brain structure
Damage from infection or inflammation
White matter loss (often associated with cerebral palsy or developmental delays)
An abnormal MRI doesn’t always mean a child will have long-term disabilities—but it is often the first indicator of a serious birth injury. In many of the cases we handle, the abnormalities shown on MRI correlate with preventable trauma during labor, poor fetal monitoring, or delayed emergency intervention.
Why Timing Matters in Diagnosis
Many MRIs are performed days or even weeks after birth—when early signs of trouble like seizures, poor muscle tone, or feeding difficulties begin to surface. By that time, the damage has already been done.
In cases of suspected HIE or brain hemorrhage, time is critical. Therapeutic hypothermia (cooling the baby’s body to slow brain damage) must be started within six hours of birth. That window closes quickly—and if medical staff miss the signs of distress during labor or fail to act quickly after delivery, opportunities to prevent further injury are lost.
Unfortunately, in Oklahoma City and elsewhere, these opportunities are missed more often than they should be.
How Birth Injuries Show Up on MRI
Medical professionals are trained to interpret MRI scans and match patterns of damage to potential causes. In many instances, they know whether the injury occurred before birth, during delivery, or after—but they don’t always share those insights with families.
For example:
Damage to the basal ganglia or thalamus often indicates a profound oxygen deprivation event during labor.
Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a form of white matter damage, is common in premature infants but can also signal improper care or failure to treat neonatal infections.
Diffuse patterns of injury may indicate sustained pressure or trauma during birth.
If the hospital isn’t transparent—or if they try to claim the injury was genetic, idiopathic, or unpreventable—families are left with more questions than answers.
That’s where we come in.
Our Role: Bringing Clarity, Accountability, and Support
When parents contact us after hearing that their baby has an “abnormal MRI,” they often come with heavy hearts and little information. They’ve been given vague explanations or told to “wait and see.” But time is not something they can afford to waste.
At Van Wey, Metzler & Williams, we review your child’s entire medical record, including imaging results, fetal heart monitoring, APGAR scores, NICU charts, and delivery notes. We consult with pediatric neuroradiologists and brain injury experts to determine when the injury occurred—and whether proper care was given.
If we find that medical negligence contributed to your child’s brain injury, we take action.
We build legal cases that seek compensation not just for current treatments, but for the lifelong needs that often follow a serious brain injury: home modifications, specialized therapies, assistive technology, special education resources, and personal care.
Why Oklahoma City Families Trust Us
Our firm is not a general personal injury practice. We concentrate on the most complex and catastrophic birth injury and medical malpractice cases—because we believe these families deserve the highest level of legal and medical insight available.
We’ve earned recognition on a national scale for our ability to stand up to hospitals and hold the healthcare system accountable. But our clients know us for something more personal: unwavering support during their hardest days.
When we say your child’s story matters, we mean it.
What You Can Do Next
If your baby has received an abnormal MRI diagnosis and you believe something went wrong during labor, here are a few critical steps you can take:
Request a copy of all MRI imaging and radiology reports.
Ask for a second opinion from a pediatric neurologist or neuroradiologist, particularly one not affiliated with the hospital that delivered your child.
Consult a birth injury attorney who understands both the medical and legal dimensions of infant brain injury cases.
You don’t need to know exactly what went wrong. You just need someone who can find out—and fight for your family.
Let’s Talk About What Really Happened
No one wants to imagine that their child’s injury could have been avoided. But what’s even harder is living with the consequences when the truth stays buried.
If you’re in Oklahoma City and you’ve been told your baby’s MRI “wasn’t normal,” we invite you to reach out. Our consultations are free, confidential, and designed to give you real information—without pressure or obligation.
