Limitations of Conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Predictor of Death or Disability Following Neonatal Hypoxic–Ischemic Encephalopathy in the Late Hypothermia Trial

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Abstract

Objective: To investigate if magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an accurate predictor for death or moderate-severe disability at 18-22 months of age among infants with neonatal encephalopathy in a trial of cooling initiated at 6-24 hours. Study design: Subgroup analysis of infants ≥36 weeks of gestation with moderate-severe neonatal encephalopathy randomized at 6-24 postnatal hours to hypothermia or usual care in a multicenter trial of late hypothermia. MRI scans were performed per each center's practice and interpreted by 2 central readers using the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development injury score (6 levels, normal to hemispheric devastation). Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed at 18-22 months of age. Results: Of 168 enrollees, 128 had an interpretable MRI and were seen in follow-up (n = 119) or died (n = 9). MRI findings were predominantly acute injury and did not differ by cooling treatment. At 18-22 months, death or severe disability occurred in 20.3%. No infant had moderate disability. Agreement between central readers was moderate (weighted kappa 0.56, 95% CI 0.45-0.67). The adjusted odds of death or severe disability increased 3.7-fold (95% CI 1.8-7.9) for each increment of injury score. The area under the curve for severe MRI patterns to predict death or severe disability was 0.77 and the positive and negative predictive values were 36% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: MRI injury scores were associated with neurodevelopmental outcome at 18-22 months among infants in the Late Hypothermia Trial. However, the results suggest caution when using qualitative interpretations of MRI images to provide prognostic information to families following perinatal hypoxia–ischemia. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00614744.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)106-111.e6
JournalJournal of Pediatrics
Volume230
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc.

Funding

The National Institutes of Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Center for Research Resources, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences provided grant support for the Neonatal Research Network's Late Hypothermia Trial (recruitment April 17, 2008, to July 13, 2014, and follow-up from October 17, 2009, to September 12, 2016) through cooperative agreements. Participating Neonatal Research Network sites collected data and transmitted it to RTI International, the data coordinating center (DCC) for the network, which stored, managed, and analyzed the data for this study. While NICHD staff did have input into the study design, conduct, analysis, and manuscript drafting, the content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. On behalf of the NRN, A.D. (DCC Principal Investigator), Breda Munoz, PhD, and B.D. (DCC Statistician) had full access to all of the data in the study, and with the NRN Center Principal Investigators, take responsibility for the integrity of the data and accuracy of the data analysis. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

FundersFunder number
Neonatal Research Network
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Center for Research Resources
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)UL1TR003167
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

    Keywords

    • brain cooling
    • hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
    • imaging

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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