Abstract
The aims of this study were to define 1H metabolite peak area ratios in normal infants and to investigate abnormalities after perinatal asphyxia. The normal infants (n=14) were studied at a gestational plus postnatal age of 31-41(36) weeks. The asphyxiated infants (n=10) were born at 26-41(37) weeks and studied on a total of 19 occasions aged 0-10(2) days. PRESS spectra were collected at 2.4T (TE 270ms) from 8ml voxels located in the thalamus or occipito-parietal region(O-P). Peak areas for the metabolites N-acetylaspartate (Naa), crcatine+phospocreatinc (Cr), choline (Cho) and lactate (Lac) were measured and ratios (mean(SD)) in the normal infants were as follows:
Lactate was detected in all 14 infants, and Lac/Naa was higher in the O-P than in the thalamus(p<0.005; paired t-test). Lac/Naa decreased linearly with gestation in both the thalamus (p=0.014, m=-0.02/wk) and O-P (p=0.033, m=-0.07/wk). Lac/Naa was above 95% confidence limits for the thalamus and/or O-P in 7 of the 10 asphyxiated infants: of these 7 infants 2 died and 3 were ncurologically abnormal aged 2 months. We conclude 1.In normal infants Lac/Naa decreased with increasing gestation 2. Lac/Naa was raised following perinatal hypoxia-ischaemia and may indicate a bad prognosis.
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Penrice, J., Cady, E., Lorek, A. et al. 186 LOCALISED H MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE BRAIN IN NORMAL AND PERINATALLY ASPHYXIATED INFANTS. Pediatr Res 36, 33 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199407000-00186
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199407000-00186
