EARLY DETECTION OF CEREBRAL INFARCTION AND HYPOXIC-ISCHEMIC ENCEPHALOPATHY IN NEONATES USING DIFFUSION-WEIGHTED MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING

Twelve newborn infants with clinical evidence of hypoxic ischemic brai n injury had conventional and diffusion weighted magnetic resonance im aging (MRI) performed one to six (median two) days and 7-42 days after birth. The extent and conspicuity of the early abnormalities was grea ter with diffusion-weighted than with conventional imaging in each of the four infants with neonatal infarction and in four of the infants w ith Grades II or III hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). No abnorma lity was seen with either technique in the other four infants who had Grades I or II HIE. Diffusion weighted MRI may be important for the ea rly diagnosis and grading of infants with hypoxic ischemic brain injur y.