title: Application of acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) in quantitative evaluation of neonatal brain development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the effect of acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) in neonatal brain development.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors observed 41 neonatal brain different tissues by using traditional two-dimensional gray scale ultrasound and color Doppler flow imaging and frequency spectrum ultrasound. After that they used ARFI to quantitative evaluate white and gray matter of neonatal different tissues in brain with different gestational ages. They also used new technical index: virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ) to evaluate elastic changes of brain tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Different tissues in brain had different elastic numerical values. Neonatal with different gestational ages had different elastic numerical values. The more gestational ages were, the more the elastic numerical values. Elastic numerical values between preterm and full-term infants were different. Elastic numerical values of full-term infants were higher than preterm infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ARFI provides a new quantitative index to evaluate neonatal brain development. It increases objectivity and reliability of clinical analysis. Ultrasound was a noninvasive examination method, safe, simple, and convenient, and it has more usefulness of ARFI in quantitative evaluation of neonatal brain development.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color