Perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging patterns of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in term neonates.

Purpose: To determine whether an early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study using perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) may define the pattern of brain injury in term neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy.

Materials And Methods: Five newborns with HI encephalopathy or a marker of perinatal depression, and 2 controls underwent an early MRI (at 2 to 4 days), including PWI. Relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) values were measured.

Results: On early (
Conclusion: PWI is technically feasible in neonates with HI encephalopathy in a reproducible way, permitting comparisons between children. It provides a practical means to identify early after birth the future definitive ischemic areas that may be shown on conventional MRI only later.