Cerebral metabolic rate for glucose after neonatal hypoglycaemia.
OBJECTIVE
We studied the effect of neonatal hypoglycaemia on the local cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (LCMRglc).


METHODS
Eight newborn infants with neonatal hypoglycaemia were studied. The LCMRglc in the whole brain, in five cerebral regions and in skeletal muscles were quantitated using positron emission tomography (PET) and 2-[18F]Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG). The PET studies were performed at the age of 5.3 +/- 6.2 days during normoglycaemia. The LCMRglc of these infants were compared to the age-adjusted LCMRglc of eight infants with suspected hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury but with normal neurological development.


RESULTS
After neonatal hypoglycaemia the age-adjusted LCMRglc in the whole brain was not lower than LCMRglc of the control infants (5.33 +/- 0.60 mumol/100 g/min vs. 6.71 +/- 0.60 mumol/100 g/min). Also the metabolic rate for glucose (MRglc) in the skeletal muscles was similar in hypoglycaemic and control infants (5.56 +/- 2.48 mumol/100 g/min vs. 6.99 +/- 2.41 mumol/100 g/min).


CONCLUSIONS
MRglc in brain and in skeletal muscle seems to be normal after neonatal hypoglycaemia, although larger group of patients with more severe hypoglycaemia are needed to confirm this finding.
Kinnala
A
A
Department of Pediatrics, University of Turku, Finland.
Nuutila
P
P
Ruotsalainen
U
U
Teräs
M
M
Bergman
J
J
Haaparanta
M
M
Solin
O
O
Korvenranta
H
H
Aärimaa
T
T
Wegelius
U
U
Kero
P
P
Suhonen-Polvi
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000151:congenital / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D005947:Glucose