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. Materials and 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. Conclusion: 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.