Analýza T1 a T2 vážených snímků mozku u novorozenců s podezřením na hypoxicko-ischemickou encefalopatii

Abstract

This bachelor thesis focuses on the analysis of T1 and T2 Weighted Brain Images in Newborns Suspected of Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy. The theoretical part summarizes the basic principles of HIE, the specific features of the neonatal brain, magnetic resonance imaging, and T1w/T2w ratio mapping. The practical part is focused on the processing of clinical MR data, coregistration of T1w and T2w images, calculation of T1w/T2w ratio maps, and extraction of values from selected regions of interest. After quality control, 40 patients were included in the final analysis. The evaluated structures included mainly the thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, and hippocampus. After correction for multiple testing, no statistically significant differences were found between groups according to HIE severity, and no statistically significant correlation with age at MR examination was confirmed. However, lower T1w/T2w values were descriptively observed in patients with more severe MR findings, especially in the putamen, globus pallidus, and deep gray matter. The results suggest that the T1w/T2w ratio may be used as an additional semiquantitative parameter for evaluating signal properties of selected brain structures, but its interpretation must take into account the sample size, technical limitations, and developmental characteristics of the neonatal brain.