Clinics in perinatology
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Clinics in perinatology · Dec 2009
ReviewAdvances in near-infrared spectroscopy to study the brain of the preterm and term neonate.
This article reviews tissue oximetry and imaging to study the preterm and newborn infant brain by near-infrared spectroscopy. These two technologies are now advanced; nearly 100 reports on their use in newborn infants have been published, and commercial instruments are available. The precision of oximetry, however, is a limitation for its clinical use of assessing cerebral oxygenation. Imaging of brain function needs very well defined protocols for sensory stimulation as well as signal analysis to provide meaningful results.