Brain positron emission tomography in preterm and term newborn infants

ObjectiveTo study the clinical values of positron emission tomography (PET) in preterm and term newborn infants through observing brain glucose metabolism by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET.MethodTo observe the brain 18F-FDG PET imaging in 9 term and 7 preterm newborn infants in the same condition after administration of 0.1 mCi/kg 18F-FDG.ResultThe brain 18F-FDG PET imaging showed that the uptake of 18F-FDG was relatively more in the thalamus, and less in the cerebral cortex in preterm and term newborn infants. The uptake of 18F-FDG of cerebral cortex in preterm infants was less than that in term infants, so the structure of brain 18F-FDG PET imaging was a little fainter in preterm neonates as compared with that in term newborns.Conclusion18F-FDG PET imaging could show different glucose metabolisms of brain in preterm and term infants. Brain 18F-FDG PET imaging might be a useful tool for estimating the brain function in newborn infants, and its clinical values need further investigation.