This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Preterm very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants are at significant risk of brain injury due to their immature ability to regulate cerebral blood flow (CBF). Two of the most common brain injuries affecting this patient group are intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). The onsets of both IVH and PVL are highly dependent on changes in CBF. For example, in the case of IVH, a decrease in blood flow can cause injury to immature capillary vessels in the germinal matrix. This damage can lead to hemorrhage if flow increases in the future. This study aims to investigate whether diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) could be used to measure blood flow changes in this delicate population. Because of these infants' fragile condition, there exist few methods to evaluate their CBF. None of these techniques are able to monitor continuously at the bedside. DCS was developed in our lab, and it has been well validated against other blood flow methodalities such as arterial spin labelling perfusion MRI. It is portable, non-invasive, and relatively inexpensive, making it an ideal method to study this patient population. A hybrid diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) and DCS instrument is used to determine relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and oxygenation changes during changes in head-of-bed position. Subsequent validation measurements are also performed during head-of-bed changes by Doppler head ultrasound, and the results from the two modalities were compared.
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