Ruth L. O'Gorman1,
Carola Sabandal1, Vera Bernet1, Cornelia Hagmann2,
Martin A. Janich3, Ralph Noeske4
1University
Children's Hospital, Zurich, CH, Switzerland; 2University
Hospital, Zurich, CH, Switzerland; 3Diagnostics & Biomedical
Tech Laboratory, GE Global Research, Mnchen, Germany; 4Applied
Science Laboratory, GE Healthcare, Berlin, Germany
This study investigates the relative sensitivity of lactate editing in comparison to standard PRESS MRS for detecting lactate in neonates with suspected hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Measured lactate concentrations and Lac/NAA ratios were higher for the lactate-edited spectra relative to corresponding values from standard PRESS (TE=35/144 ms). The short TE (35 ms) and lactate-edited spectra show comparable sensitivity to lactate but the specificity and fit reliability was higher for the lactate-edited spectra. Therefore, lactate-edited MRS can improve the specificity and reliability of lactate detection in infants with suspected HIE, particularly in the presence of strong lipid signals.
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