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Biomarkers in Neonatal Brain Injury: Interpreting Research into Clinical Practice

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Biomarkers in Trauma, Injury and Critical Care

Abstract

This chapter synopsizes all clinically relevant information found in the literature regarding brain injury in preterm and full-term neonates for the two most studied biomarkers, S100B and NSE. Biomarker’s prognostic ability and levels in cord blood, serum, urine, and saliva, in healthy and diseased infants, that are reported among different studies are brought together and correlated with each other, so that similarities will lead to practical conclusions for the bedside clinician and the future researcher. S100B and NSE seem to be reliable biomarkers for neonatal brain injury in most studies. They correlate well with neuroimaging and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome. S100B is the most studied and appears superior to NSE. Serum is probably the most suitable sample for clinical use. Pitfalls can be avoided when S100B and NSE are used in clinical practice by having control measurements in healthy neonates comparable with ones in bibliography and skipping hemolyzed samples. These two biomarkers are able to help distinguishing neonates of higher risk of adverse long-term outcome in an early phase, so additional neuroprotective strategies and therapeutic protocols can be applied.

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Abbreviations

aEEG:

Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography

BBB:

Blood–brain barrier

CNS:

Central nervous system

CP:

Cerebral palsy

CS:

Cesarean section

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

CT:

Computed tomography scan

EoP:

Encephalopathy of prematurity

GA:

Gestational age

H/HT:

Therapeutic hypothermia

HIE:

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

IVH:

Intraventricular hemorrhage

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

NICU:

Neonatal intensive care unit

PA:

Perinatal asphyxia

PET:

Positron emission tomography scan

PVL:

Periventricular leukomalacia

RDS:

Respiratory distress syndrome

SHC:

Selective head cooling

WBC:

Whole-body cooling

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Nikolaos Efstathiou

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  1. Nikolaos Efstathiou
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Correspondence to Nikolaos Efstathiou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Med City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  2. Franklin-Wilkins Bldg, Rm 4.101, 4th Fl, Kings Coll London, Sch Biomed Health Sci, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

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Efstathiou, N. (2022). Biomarkers in Neonatal Brain Injury: Interpreting Research into Clinical Practice. In: Rajendram, R., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B. (eds) Biomarkers in Trauma, Injury and Critical Care. Biomarkers in Disease: Methods, Discoveries and Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87302-8_72-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87302-8_72-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-87302-8

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