Noninvasive Measurements of Regional Cerebral Perfusion in Preterm and Term Neonates by Magnetic Resonance Arterial Spin Labeling

摘要

Magnetic resonance arterial spin labeling (ASL) at 3 Tesla has been investigated as a quantitative technique for measuring regional cerebral perfusion (RCP) in newborn infants. RCP values were measured in 49 healthy neonates: 32 preterm infants born before 34 wk of gestation and 17 term-born neonates. Examinations were performed on unsedated infants at postmenstrual age of 39–40 wk in both groups. Due to motion, reliable data were obtained from 23 preterm and 6 term infants. Perfusion in the basal ganglia (39 and 30 mL/100 g/min for preterm and term neonates, respectively) was significantly higher (p p = 0.01) in the preterm group than in the term infants, indicating that RCP may be influenced by developmental and postnatal ages. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that noninvasive ASL at 3T may be used to measure RCP in healthy unsedated preterm and term neonates. ASL is, therefore, a viable tool that will allow serial studies of RCP in high-risk neonates.Abbreviations: ASL, arterial spin labeling; BG, basal ganglia and thalami; CBF, cerebral blood flow; CSF, cerebral spinal fluid; GA, gestational age; GM, cortical gray matter; NIRS, near infrared spectroscopy; PMA, postmenstrual age; QUIPSS II, quantitative imaging of perfusion using a single subtraction, second method; RCP, regional cerebral perfusion; ROI, region of interest; SPECT, single photon emission computed tomography; WM, white matter