Prognostic Value of Arterial Spin Labeling Brain Perfusion MRI in Term Neonates With Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is the result of birth asphyxia due to transitory cerebral blood flow drop during perinatal period. It is the leading cause of neonatal encephalopathy, and thus a major cause of perinatal mortality, morbidity and adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Usual care brain MRI is critically important in the diagnosis and prognosis. Lasting about 30 to 40 minutes, MRI exam includes successive sequences providing complementary information but none relatively to brain perfusion. Perfusion MRI without contrast media injection is possible using Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) sequence. ASL is highly suitable for neonates, noninvasiveness, and lasts only 5 minutes. However, only one study assessed ASL as a prognostic factor. The purpose of the study is therefore to perform ASL sequence within usual care brain MRI.