Advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques in perinatal brain injury

Despite marked improvements in perinatal practice, perinatal brain injury r emains one of the most common complications causing chronic handicapping co nditions. Experimental advances have elucidated many of the cellular and va scular mechanisms of perinatal brain damage showing a correlation between t he nature of the injury and the maturation of the brain. New diagnostic too ls, such as quantitative three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, diffusion-weighted MR imaging and proton MR spectroscopy, are presented in this review article that allow to assess brain development, detect early b rain injury and monitor effects of perinatal brain injury on subsequent bra in development and brain plasticity. These techniques will guide future the rapeutic interventions aimed at minimizing irreversible perinatal brain inj ury. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.