Date of Award
2006
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Medical Biophysics
Supervisor
Dr. Keith St. Lawrence
Second Advisor
Dr. R. Terry Thompson
Abstract
Abnormalities in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are believed to be a significant risk factor for neonatal brain injury. The goals of this study were to implement a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, specifically arterial spin labeling (ASL), suitable for measuring CBF in neonates and assess the accuracy of the technique by comparison to perfusion computed tomography (pCT). ASL is non-invasive, non-ionizing, and yields maps of absolute CBF making it ideal for use in neonates. Regional CBF in newborn piglets was measured with both techniques. In grey matter, CBF was 76 ± 1 and 64 ± 2 mL∕min∕100g from pCT and MRI, respectively. Although there was reasonable agreement between the two techniques, the differences in the CBF values were significant. Possible explanations include blood volume contributions to pCT causing an overestimation, or timing errors with ASL leading to an underestimation. Before application to human neonates, further tests and modifications are needed.
Recommended Citation
Koziak, Adrian M.Y., "Developing a magnetic resonance imaging technique for measuring cerebral blood flow in neonatal patients" (2006). Digitized Theses. 5037.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/5037