Brain positron emission tomography in preterm and term newborn infants.
OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical values of positron emission tomography (PET) in preterm and term newborn infants through observing brain glucose metabolism by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) PET.


METHODS
To observe the brain (18)F-FDG PET imaging in 9 term and 7 preterm newborn infants in the same condition after administration of 0.1 mCi/kg (18)F-FDG.


RESULTS
The brain (18)F-FDG PET imaging showed that the uptake of (18)F-FDG was relatively more in the thalamus, and less in the cerebral cortex in preterm and term newborn infants. The uptake of (18)F-FDG of cerebral cortex in preterm infants was less than that in term infants, so the structure of brain (18)F-FDG PET imaging was a little fainter in preterm neonates as compared with that in term newborns.


CONCLUSIONS
(18)F-FDG PET imaging could show different glucose metabolisms of brain in preterm and term infants. Brain (18)F-FDG PET imaging might be a useful tool for estimating the brain function in newborn infants, and its clinical values need further investigation.
Shi
Yuan
Y
Department of Pediatrics, Daping Hospital and Research Institute of Surgery, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Jin
Rong-bin
RB
Zhao
Jin-ning
JN
Tang
Shi-fang
SF
Li
Hua-qiang
HQ
Li
Tin-yu
TY
D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose