Quantitative measurement of cerebral blood flow in a juvenile porcine model by depth-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy.

Nearly half a million children and young adults are affected by traumatic brain injury each year in the United States. Although adequate cerebral blood flow (CBF) is essential to recovery, complications that disrupt blood flow to the brain and exacerbate neurological injury often go undetected because no adequate bedside measure of CBF exists. In this study we validate a depth-resolved, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique that provides quantitative CBF measurement despite significant signal contamination from skull and scalp tissue. The respiration rates of eight anesthetized pigs (weight: 16.2+/-0.5 kg, age: 1 to 2 months old) are modulated to achieve a range of CBF levels. Concomitant CBF measurements are performed with NIRS and CT perfusion. A significant correlation between CBF measurements from the two techniques is demonstrated (r(2)=0.714, slope=0.92, p<0.001), and the bias between the two techniques is -2.83 mL min(-1)100 g(-1) (CI(0.95): -19.63 mL min(-1)100 g(-1)-13.9 mL min(-1)100 g(-1)). This study demonstrates that accurate measurements of CBF can be achieved with depth-resolved NIRS despite significant signal contamination from scalp and skull. The ability to measure CBF at the bedside provides a means of detecting, and thereby preventing, secondary ischemia during neurointensive care.