Early proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy during and after therapeutic hypothermia in perinatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy

Ashley M. Lucke, Anil N. Shetty, Joseph L. Hagan, Allison Walton, Tiffany D. Stafford, Zili D. Chu, Christopher J. Rhee, Jeffrey R. Kaiser, Magdalena Sanz Cortes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains a significant cause of mortality and neurodevelopmental impairment despite treatment with therapeutic hypothermia. Magnetic resonance H1-spectroscopy measures concentrations of cerebral metabolites to detect derangements in aerobic metabolism. Objective We assessed MR spectroscopy in neonates with HIE within 18–24 h of initiating therapeutic hypothermia and at 5–6 days post therapeutic hypothermia. Materials and methods Eleven neonates with HIE underwent MR spectroscopy of the basal ganglia and white matter. We compared metabolite concentrations during therapeutic hypothermia and post-therapeutic hypothermia and between moderate and severe HIE. Results During therapeutic hypothermia, neonates with severe HIE had decreased basal ganglia N-acetylaspartate (NAA; 0.62 ±0.08 vs. 0.72±0.05; P=0.02), NAA + N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG; 0.66±0.11 vs. 0.77±0.06; P=0.05), glycerophosphorylcholine + phosphatidylcholine (GPC+PCh; 0.28±0.05 vs. 0.38±0.06; P=0.02) and decreased white matter GPC+PCh (0.35±0.13 vs. 0.48±0.04; P=0.02) compared to neonates with moderate HIE. For all subjects, basal ganglia NAA decreased (−0.08±0.07; P=0.01), whereas white matter GPC+PCh increased (0.03±0.04; P=0.04) from therapeutic hypothermia MRI to post-therapeutic-hypothermia MRI. All metabolite values are expressed in mmol/L. Conclusion Decreased NAA and GPC+PCh were associated with greater HIE severity and could distinguish neonates who might benefit most from targeted additional neuroprotective therapies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)941-950
Number of pages10
JournalPediatric Radiology
Volume49
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2019

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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