Objective  To study the clinical value of cerebral glucose metabolism measured by

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F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (

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F-FDG PET) in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Methods  Totally 24 neonates

including 9 full-term neonates

7 preterm newborn infants

and 8 neonates in our department from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2006 were subjected. All of them received

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F-FDG PET imaging after the informed consent was signed by their parents and our study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Third Military Medical University.

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F-FDG at a dose of 37 MBq/kg was injected to measure the cerebral glucose metabolism. Results  The brain

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F-FDG PET imaging showed that the uptake of 18F-FDG was relatively more in the thalamus

and less in the cerebral cortex in the preterm and term newborn infants (P0.05). The uptake of

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F-FDG of the cerebral cortex in the preterm infants was less than that in the full-term infants (P0.05)

so the structure of brain

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F-FDG PET imaging was a little fainter in the preterm neonates as compared with that of the full-term newborns. The cerebral glucose metabolism was significantly changed in the neonatal HIE as measured by

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F-FDG PET. The cerebral uptake of

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F-FDG was either unbalanced bilaterally or relatively low in some sites as compared with the other areas. Moreover

the uptake of

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F-FDG in total brain was relatively low in some patients

especially in the areas of the hypophloeodal cerebral white matter

thalamus

and basal ganglia. Conclusion 

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F-FDG PET imaging shows different cerebral glucose metabolism in preterm and term infants. The cerebral glucose metabolism is significantly changed in neonatal HIE as measured by

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F-FDG PET

so this imaging can be used to evaluate the brain function of neonatal HIE.