Role of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in detection of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Background Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a critical pediatric disease with challenges in diagnosis. Many diagnostic tools have been used to diagnose this condition. Among all these tools, MRI with the advanced sequence; diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) plays a more vital role in early detection of this condition. In this research we emphasized the role of DW-MRI in the diagnosis of HIE. Aim of work The aim of this work is to evaluate the role of DW-MRI in detection and grading of HIE. Patients and methods This is a prospective study performed for 1 year (from January 2017 to January 2018). The studied group included 20 full-term neonates admitted to NICU of Assiut University Hospital with provisional diagnosis of HIE. All patients underwent brain imaging by conventional and DW-MRI. Results There was a moderate significant agreement between conventional MRI and DWI (P = 0.023) regarding both diagnosis and grading of HIE. Conclusion MR-DWI is the preferred modality of imaging in diagnosis and grading of hypoxic-ischemic injury due to its high sensitivity and easy interpretation with no need for contrast administration.