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Brain Injury in the Preterm and Term Neonate

  • Neuroimaging (B Soares, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Neonatal brain injury results from a complex interplay of maternal and perinatal factors, and can be challenging to diagnose from both clinical and radiologic perspectives. Depending on infant age and severity of insult, various types of brain injury can result. We will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of different imaging modalities: US, CT, MRI, PET, and SPECT. Focusing on MRI, we will discuss special considerations for neonates, including clinical stabilization, technical challenges, and advanced imaging approaches such as ASL, MRS, and SWI. In the remainder of the article, we will review the pathophysiology and MR imaging patterns of brain injury in preterm and term infants.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Amino acids

ADC:

Apparent diffusion coefficient

ASL:

Arterial spin labeling

CBF:

Cerebral blood flow

CbH:

Cerebellar hemorrhage

Cho:

Choline

Cr:

Creatine

CT:

Computed tomography

DWI:

Diffusion-weighted imaging

DTI:

Diffusion tensor imaging

EGL:

External granular layer

FA:

Fractional anisotropy

FDG:

Fluorodeoxyglucose

Glx:

Glutamate-glutamine

HIE:

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

IGL:

Internal granular layer

IVH:

Intraventricular hemorrhage

Lac:

Lactate

Lip:

Lipids

MRA:

Magnetic resonance angiography

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MRS:

MR spectroscopy

mI:

Myo-inositol

ms:

Milliseconds

MT:

Magnetization transfer

NAA:

N-acetylaspartate

NIRS:

Near-infrared spectroscopy

PET:

Positron emission tomography

PLIC:

Posterior limb of internal capsule

ppm:

Parts per million

PVL:

Periventricular leukomalacia

SNR:

Signal-to-noise ratio

SPECT:

Single positron emission tomography

SWI:

Susceptibility-weighted imaging

TE:

Time to echo

US:

Ultrasound

VM:

Ventriculomegaly

WMI:

White matter injury

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neuroradiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Mai-Lan Ho, Alice C. Patton, David R. DeLone, Julie R. Gilbertson, Joel Felmlee & Robert E. Watson

  2. Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF, 550 16th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA

    Hosung Kim

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  1. Mai-Lan Ho
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Correspondence to Mai-Lan Ho.

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Mai-Lan Ho, Alice C. Patton, David R. DeLone, Hosung Kim, Julie R. Gilbertson, Joel Felmlee, and Robert E. Watson each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Neuroimaging.

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Ho, ML., Patton, A.C., DeLone, D.R. et al. Brain Injury in the Preterm and Term Neonate. Curr Radiol Rep 4, 39 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-016-0161-0

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