[Brain alteration in neonates with congenital heart disease using apparent diffusion coefficient histograms]

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Neurology
• Radiology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Congenital heart disease (CHD) can lead to neonatal brain alterations.
• Accurate assessment of these brain changes is crucial for management.
• Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis is a potential tool for quantitative evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of ADC histogram analysis in detecting brain alterations in neonates with CHD.
• To correlate ADC histogram parameters with gestational age.
• To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ADC histogram metrics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 60 neonates with CHD and 22 controls using MRI.
• Acquisition of ADC histogram data using MRIcron and ImgJ software.
• Statistical analysis including correlation, t-test, and ROC curve analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant correlation found between ADC values and gestational age (P<0.05).
• Specific ADC histogram parameters (70th-90th ADC, skewness, kurtosis, variance) showed statistical significance (P<0.05).
• The 90th percentile ADC value demonstrated the largest area under the ROC curve (0.698).

Conclusions:

• ADC histogram analysis provides objective quantification of brain tissue diffusion.
• This method is rapid and feasible for identifying brain changes in neonates with CHD.
• ADC histogram parameters are valuable for assessing neonatal brain alterations in the context of CHD.