فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Brain injury in premature infants (BIPI) is a severe brain damage in premature infants, resulting in a series of neurological sequelae. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, is more widely used for premature infants. It is of paramount importance to improve the early diagnosis, treatment, and intervention for this population by using DTI. There are few reports on the application of DTI for the evaluation of BIPI in low-birth-weight (LBW) and very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants. Objectives: To analyze the clinical characteristics of BIPI in LBW and VLBW infants and to explore the value of MRI-based DTI in the evaluation of BIPI in LBW infants. Results: The FA values in the central white matter of the frontal lobe, central white matter of the occipital lobe, centrum semiovale, posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), and ventral thalamus were significantly lower in the BIPI group as compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The ADCs were lower in the BIPI group compared to the control group, and there was a significant difference (P < 0.05). Comparison of FA and ADC values in the central white matter of the frontal lobe, central white matter of the occipital lobe, centrum semiovale, PLIC, and ventral thalamus did not show any significant differences between the LBW and VLBW groups with BIPI (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The FA and ADC values of DTI can be used for the quantitative evaluation of BIPI in LBW and VLBW infants. The FA value was found to be more accurate than the ADC. Overall, different FA values in different brain areas reflect differences in the brain development of normal premature infants.