Cerebral oxygen metabolism during and after therapeutic hypothermia in neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy: a feasibility study using magnetic resonance imaging

Background Therapeutic hypothermia is the standard-of-care treatment for infants diagnosed with moderate-to-severe hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). MRI for assessing brain injury is usually performed after hypothermia because of logistical challenges in bringing acutely sick infants receiving hypothermia from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to the MRI suite. Perhaps examining and comparing early cerebral oxygen metabolism disturbances to those after rewarming will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of brain injury in HIE and the effects of therapeutic hypothermia.