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Updated: May 25, 2026
Non-invasive Optical Measurement of Cerebral Metabolism and Hemodynamics in Infants
Published on: March 14, 2013
Mean cerebral blood flow measurements using phase contrast MRI in the first year of life
Marta Varela1, Alan M Groves, Tomoki Arichi
1Imaging Sciences Department, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Insights
This study introduces a non-invasive MRI method to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) in infants. The technique accurately estimates CBF, showing it rapidly increases in the first year of life.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Cerebral blood flow (CBF) alterations are linked to infant neurological conditions.
- Measuring CBF in neonates is challenging due to invasive or radioactive methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a non-invasive MRI technique for measuring mean global CBF in infants.
- To assess the feasibility of using this method in routine neonatal examinations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized phase contrast MRI to measure blood flow and segmented anatomical MR images for brain volume in 21 infants (<1 year).
- Adapted MRI techniques for the neonatal population, validating accuracy and reproducibility with adult volunteers and repeated measures.
- Determined that cardiac gating is not essential for infants without cardiac pathology.
Main Results:
- The developed MRI technique provides rapid, robust, and non-invasive mean CBF estimates.
- Mean CBF significantly increases in infants during the first year of life (approx. 25 to 60 ml/100ml/min).
- CBF correlated with arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate, but not hematocrit or body temperature.
Conclusions:
- This non-invasive MRI method is suitable for monitoring infant cerebral perfusion and treatment efficacy.
- The findings provide valuable data on normal CBF development in the first year of life.
- The technique can be integrated into standard neonatal MRI protocols.
Abstract:
Alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are believed to be linked to many of the neurological pathologies that affect neonates and small infants. CBF measurements are nonetheless often difficult to perform in this population, as many techniques rely on radioactive tracers or other invasive methods. In this study, mean global CBF was measured in 21 infants under the age of one, using non-invasive MRI techniques adapted to the neonatal population. Mean CBF was computed as the ratio of blood flow delivered to the brain (measured using phase contrast MRI) and brain volume (computed by segmenting anatomical MR images). Tests in adult volunteers and repeated measurements showed the flow measurements using the proposed method to be both accurate and reproducible. It was also found that cardiac gating need not be employed in infants with no known cardiac pathology. The developed technique can easily be appended to a neonatal MRI examination to provide rapid, robust, and non-invasive estimates of mean CBF, thus providing a means to monitor developmental or pathology-related alterations in cerebral perfusion and the impact of different treatment courses. In the imaged cohort, mean CBF and flow to the brain were found to rapidly increase during the first year of life (from approx. 25 to 60 ml blood/100 ml tissue/min), in good agreement with literature from other modalities where available. Mean CBF also showed a significant correlation with arterial oxygen saturation level and heart rate, but no significant correlation was found between CBF and the hematocrit or body temperature.
