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Can induced hypothermia be assured during brain MRI in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy?

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Abstract

Until now, brain MRIs in asphyxiated neonates who are receiving therapeutic hypothermia have been performed after treatment is complete. However, there is increasing interest in utilizing early brain MRI while hypothermia is still being provided to rapidly understand the degree of brain injury and possibly refine neuroprotective strategies. This study was designed to assess whether therapeutic hypothermia can be maintained while performing a brain MRI. Twenty MRI scans were obtained in 12 asphyxiated neonates while they were treated with hypothermia. The median difference between esophageal temperature on NICU departure and return was 0.1°C (range: −0.8 to 0.8°C). We found that therapeutic hypothermia can be safely and reproducibly maintained during a brain MRI. Hypothermia treatment should not prevent obtaining an early brain MRI if clinically indicated.

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Acknowledgments

Pia Wintermark receives generous research grant funding from the William Randolph Hearst Fund Award and the Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award Program. The work of Simon K. Warfield is supported by NIH grants R01 RR021885, R01 GM074068, R03 EB008680 and P30 HD018655. The authors thank the families and their neonates for participating in the study. A special thank-you is also expressed to the NICU clinicians and the MRI technicians who made this study possible.

Conflicts of interest

No conflict of interest. The mention of specific vendors for equipment is solely reflective of equipment usage in our unit. We do not receive any financial or other compensation from any of the vendors mentioned in this review. We realize that there are other vendors who manufacture MR-compatible equipment.

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Correspondence to Pia Wintermark.

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Wintermark, P., Labrecque, M., Warfield, S.K. et al. Can induced hypothermia be assured during brain MRI in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy?. Pediatr Radiol 40, 1950–1954 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-010-1816-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-010-1816-2

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