The purpose of this study is to measure the detectability and progress of intracranial hemorrhage using a new light-based noninvasive technique called TOFA. During the last year, research focus was on the using the newly developed prototype that had been designed to achieve speedier scan times, enhanced light collection, and deeper tissue probing. Significant advances has been made towards improving instrument performance in readiness for agressive clinical studies. This hardware and engineering effort was supported by GCRC program to develop a faster, more efficient, and calibrated prototype. It is used to monitor cerebral function by measuring blood oxygenation and flow in realtime, allowing tracking of early onset and progression of infant brain injury. We have completed a focused series of bedside studies in the neonatal nursery that reveal a good, though not perfect, correlation of optical scan results with hemorrhage identification as well as CT and MRI. Initial results indicate that optical scanning may also provide a method of dating of the age of a hematoma. This is possibly related to the bleaching of the hemoglobin in the hematoma over time, such that the clot becomes a colorless white or organized clot . Further studies will be done so that we may prospectively assess clinical specificity and sensitivity.
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