Cerebral perfusion studies during maturation using single photon emission computed tomography in the neonatal period

In this study, we used single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) radiolabelled 99mTc HMPAO to assess cerebral perfusion during maturation in the neonatal period. Results of SPECT examinations in 18 newborn infants, in whom gestational age ranged form 30 to 41 weeks, and who were found to be neurologically normal in retrospect, were reviewed. The developmental changes in cerebral perfusion during the neonatal period shown by SPECT parallel findings of other methods on maturational changes of the central nervous system (neuropathological studies, positron emission tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging). Cerebral perfusion progresses from the central part of the brain to the cerebellum, sensorimotor and then visual cortex. A close relation seems to exist between cerebral perfusion, metabolism and behavior under normal conditions in the neonatal period.