Whole-Brain Oxygen Extraction Fraction is Decreased in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

Dustin Kenneth Ragan¹, Jose A. Pineda¹

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) begins a series of pathological processes in its victims that can lead to long-term neurological disability. We investigated abnormal brain oxygen utilization by measuring whole-brain oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in pediatric TBI patients using a susceptibility-based oximetry technique. Magnetic field maps were acquired two weeks after injury that were used to generated magnetic susceptibility maps. OEF was quantified through the susceptibility change in the superior sagittal sinus. Severe TBI patients suffered reduced OEF compared to both mild TBI patients (20.5% vs. 31.4%) and controls (45.7%). This implies ongoing metabolic dysfunction in trauma patients.