Hypoxia In Children: A "Cookbook" For Facilitating A Diagnosis

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 13 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PST

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There are four major signs that can be used to facilitate a diagnosis of hypoxia in children, according to a review written at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC.

A child who potentially suffers from hypoxia can be evaluated using a specific set of signs, "the 1-2-3-4 diagnosis," according to Ralph Heinz, lead author of the review. These signs are increased signal intensity in the basal ganglia on T1-weighted images, increased signal intensity in the thalamus on T1-weighted images, absent or decreased signal intensity in the posterior limb of the internal capsule on T-1 weighted images and restricted water diffusion on diffusion-weighted images. "MRI is the preferred method of evaluation," said Dr. Heinz.

The authors discuss the signs that help to distinguish total, severe hypoxia from partial, prolonged hypoxia. "These signs can be used as a checklist to help radiologists assess the possibility of hypoxia in the newborn. It can be used as a cookbook or summary on how to approach a problem that has not always been handled well in the past," said Dr. Heinz.

"Many general radiologists and some neuroradiologists do not have a lot of experience reading pediatric films. We have used the most valuable conclusions of others as well as our own observations and tried to present them in summary fashion. Our goal was to make it easy for people who are not experienced to grasp it in the short form," said Dr. Heinz.

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About ARRS

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.

American Roentgen Ray Society