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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Non-invasive Optical Measurement of Cerebral Metabolism and Hemodynamics in Infants
Published on: March 14, 2013
Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity in pediatric sickle cell disease using diffuse correlation spectroscopy
Kyle R Cowdrick1, Mariam Akbar1, Tisha Boodooram1
1Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, 1760 Haygood Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Abstract:
Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), defined as the ability of cerebral vasculature to dilate in response to a vasodilatory stimulus, is an integral mechanism in brain homeostasis that is thought to be impaired in sickle cell disease (SCD). This study used diffuse correlation spectroscopy and a simple breath-hold stimulus to quantify CVR non-invasively in a cohort of 12 children with SCD and 14 controls. Median [interquartile range] CVR was significantly decreased in SCD compared to controls (2.03 [1.31, 2.44] versus 3.49 [3.00, 4.11] %/mmHg, p = 0.028). These results suggest DCS may provide a feasible means to routinely monitor CVR impairments in pediatric SCD.
