Diffuse optical tomography for the detection of perinatal stroke at the cot side: a pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundPerinatal stroke is a potentially debilitating injury, often under-diagnosed in the neonatal period. We conducted a pilot study investigating the role of the portable, non-invasive brain monitoring technique, diffuse optical tomography (DOT), as an early detection tool for infants with perinatal stroke.MethodsFour stroke-affected infants were scanned with a DOT system within the first 3 days of life and compared to four healthy control subjects. Spectral power, correlation, and phase lag between interhemispheric low frequency (0.0055–0.3 Hz) hemoglobin signals were assessed. Optical data analyses were conducted with and without magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided stroke localization to assess the efficacy of DOT when used without stroke anatomical information.ResultsInterhemispheric correlations of both oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentration were significantly reduced in the stroke-affected group within the very low (0.0055–0.0095 Hz) and resting state (0.01–0.08 Hz) frequencies (p < 0.003). There were no interhemispheric differences for spectral power. These results were observed even without MRI stroke localization.ConclusionThis suggests that DOT and correlation-based analyses in the low-frequency range can potentially aid the early detection of perinatal stroke, prior to MRI acquisition. Additional methodological advances are required to increase the sensitivity and specificity of this technique.

High-density diffuse optical tomography for imaging human brain function

“…However, bilateral visual cortex connectivity was absent in the preterm infant with left occipital hemorrhagic stroke 26 . Similarly, researchers have recently demonstrated reduced interhemispheric connectivity in four infants following perinatal stroke as compared to four healthy infants 220 …”

Quo Vadis, Nanoparticle-Enabled In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging?

“…Such a concept, in fact, has already been explored in DOT for the deep-brain studies in new-born babies. 200,209 Considering all the extra quality checks that will need to be fulfilled for the use in new-born, if luminescence-based nanotechnology follows a similar path, then the development of the materials should start focusing on these quality checks at the level of material design.…”

“…Due to the reduced dimensions of their tissues, the number of organs considered viable as indicated in Table would increase, potentially giving rise to more possibilities for the detection and treatment of diseases. Such a concept, in fact, has already been explored in DOT for deep-brain studies in newborn babies. , Considering all the extra quality checks that will need to be fulfilled for use in newborns, if luminescence-based nanotechnology follows a similar path, then the development of the materials should start focusing on these quality checks at the level of material design. If, however, the intention is still to keep the applicability of luminescent NPs as broad as possible (including adults), then the use of endoscopic techniques will have to be considered.…”

Wearable, Integrated EEG–fNIRS Technologies: A Review

“…EEG-fNIRS systems are of particular interest in neonatal brain research since both methods are minimally invasive, silent, and can be employed cot-side [23]. Infant studies have demonstrated that EEG-fNIRS is particularly important for understanding the development of neurovascular coupling and its (dys)regulation in association with neuropathology [24][25][26][27].…”