Elodie Boudes1,
Guillaume Gilbert2, Christine Saint-Martin3, Ilana Ruth
Leppert4, Bruce G. Pike4, Pia Wintermark1
1Department
of Pediatrics, Division of Newborn Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC,
Canada; 2MR Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Montreal, QC,
Canada; 3Department of Radiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC,
Canada; 4Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University,
Montreal, QC, Canada
Arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) by magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be useful for identifying asphyxiated newborns at risk of developing brain injury, whether or not hypothermia was administered. Our study compares two methods of ASL-PWI (i.e. PASL and pCASL) to assess brain perfusion in healthy newborns and in asphyxiated newborns treated with hypothermia. It demonstrates that both ASL methods are feasible and reproducible to assess brain perfusion in these newborns. However, pCASL might be a better choice, as pCASL perfusion maps were of better quality and permitted more detailed identification of the injured brain areas.