Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy assessment of neonatal brain metabolism during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery

Abstract

Here, we report on the development and performance of a robust 3‐T single‐voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) experimental protocol and data analysis pipeline for quantifying brain metabolism during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery in a neonatal porcine model, with the overall goal of elucidating primary mechanisms of brain injury associated with these procedures. The specific aims were to assess which metabolic processes can be reliably interrogated by 1H MRS on a 3‐T clinical scanner and to provide an initial assessment of brain metabolism during deep hypothermia cardiac arrest (DHCA) surgery and recovery. Fourteen neonatal pigs underwent CPB surgery while placed in a 3‐T MRI scanner for 18, 28, and 37°C DHCA studies under hyperglycemic, euglycemic, and hypoglycemic conditions. Total imaging times, including baseline measurements, circulatory arrest (CA), and recovery averaged 3 h/animal, during which 30–40 single‐voxel 1H MRS spectra (sLASER pulse sequence, TR/TE = 2000/30 ms, 64 or 128 averages) were acquired from a 2.2‐cc right midbrain voxel. 1H MRS at 3 T was able to reliably quantify (1) anaerobic metabolism via depletion of brain glucose and the associated build‐up of lactate during CA, (2) phosphocreatine (PCr) to creatine (Cr) conversion during CA and subsequent recovery upon reperfusion, (3) a robust increase in the glutamine‐to‐glutamate (Gln/Glu) ratio during the post‐CA recovery period, and (4) a broadening of the water peak during CA. In vivo 1H MRS at 3 T can reliably quantify subtle metabolic brain changes previously deemed challenging to interrogate, including brain glucose concentrations even under hypoglycemic conditions, ATP usage via the conversion of PCr to Cr, and differential changes in Glu and Gln. Observed metabolic changes during CPB surgery of a neonatal porcine model provide new insights into possible mechanisms for prevention of neuronal injury.