Abstract #0614

Robertson N, Ordidge R, De Vita E, Bainbridge A, Cady E, West D, Iwata O, Wyatt J, Thornton J, Iwata S

Proton MRS localised to deep grey matter provides useful prognostic information in neonatal encephalopathy (NE) before conventional MRI becomes reliable. T2 relaxometry within 3 days of birth may also provide prognostic information in infants with NE. We investigated the change in brain-water T2 after transient hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) and the relationship between T2 and metabolite ratios obtained with 1H MRS imaging in a piglet model of transient HI. As in NE infants, T2 increased following transient HI. Significant correlations were observed between T2 and most 1H metabolite ratios. T2 relaxometry may provide a useful early prognostic alternative to1H MRS.