Investigating brain haemodynamics during hypoglycaemia in very preterm neonates using diffuse optical tomography

Very preterm neonates are more prone to experience hyper and hypo-glycaemia after birth. To date, there is no available evidence on the local brain hemodynamic response to these glycemic changes. This study uses continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) to investigate this issue. Sixty very preterm neonates were recruited and continuously monitored after birth with CGM and DOT for several days. Patients with only mild (Sensor glucose concentration (SGC) ≥ 48 mg/dL & ≤ 72 mg/dL) or severe (SGC ≤ 47 mg/dL) hypoglycaemia (N=17) were then selected for analysis. DOT data were reconstructed in three 10-minute windows throughout each hypoglycemic event: at the beginning of the event, after the minimum of hypoglycemia, and at the end of the event. Correlations and spatial consistencies were found between changes in blood volume and SGC during these time windows, suggesting a coupling between SGC and brain hemodynamics in very preterm newborns after birth.