Bedside Monitoring of Brain Blood Flow and Oxygen Use in Premature Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage and Post-Hemorrhagic Hydrocephalus

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying premature newborns with brain bleeding called germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage GM-IVH and related swelling of the brain called post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus PHH. They are using a special technology called frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy combined with diffuse correlation spectroscopy FDNIRS-DCS to monitor blood flow and oxygen use in the brain. The study compares these infants to others with hydrocephalus from other causes and to healthy infants, aiming to find better ways to measure brain metabolism and predict outcomes. The study observes four groups of infants those with GM-IVH, those with PHH who may receive surgical treatments like endoscopic third ventriculostomy ETV with choroid plexus cauterization CPC or shunting, healthy premature infants, and infants with other types of hydrocephalus. FDNIRS-DCS measurements are taken up to once daily when possible, with extra measurements on treatment days for those receiving surgery, up to four times a day to monitor response. Parents and caregivers will have their infants monitored at the bedside with the non-invasive FDNIRS-DCS technology. The study collects data on brain blood flow and oxygen metabolism, and follows neurodevelopmental outcomes at 5-7, 10-12, and 22-24 months corrected age. This helps researchers understand how brain metabolism relates to brain injury severity and treatment response. The total study duration for participants is up to about one year of age with follow-up assessments extending beyond that.

NIRS Monitoring in Premature Infants