Objective: This study examined the changes of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) by noninvasive near infrared spectrophotometry in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS).
Methods: Seventy-three full neonates with MAS were divided into three groups by respiratory symptoms: asymptomatic group (group 1, n=38), common group (group 2, n=28) and severe group (group 3, n=7). Near infrared spectrophotometry was used to measure the cerebral rSO2 on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 after birth. Thirty healthy full-term newborns served as the Control group.
Results: The cerebral rSO2 of group 1 decreased significantly compared with that of the Control group between days 1 and 3 (P < 0.05). The cerebral rSO2 of group 2 or group 3 was significantly lower than that of group 1 and the Control group on days 1, 3 and 5 (P < 0.05). The MAS patients with mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) had significantly higher brain rSO2 levels than those with medium or severe HIE on days 2, 3 and 5 (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The cerebral rSO2 decreased in neonates with MAS. The values for rSO2 correlated with the severity of HIE in MAS patients.