Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the value of magnetic resonance fluid attenuation reversal recovery (MRI FLAIR) sequence combined with amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in the early diagnosis of severe preterm infants with brain injury. A total of 163 preterm infants born who were transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were selected. Among them, 85 infants diagnosed with brain injury were assigned to the brain injury group, and 78 preterm infants without brain injury were assigned to the non-brain injury group. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) were compared between the two groups by MRI FLAIR sequence detection, aEEG detection and MRI FLAIR combined with aEEG detection. This study showed that compared with the non-brain injury group, the levels of IL-6 and NSE were abnormally increased in the brain injury group (P<0.05). Compared with the non-brain injury group, the values of upper boundary voltage and narrow-band width were higher in the brain injury group, while the values of lower boundary voltage were lower (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the positive predictive value, specificity and accuracy of aEEG test, MRI FLAIR sequence test, MRI FLAIR sequence combined with aEEG test (P>0.05). Compared with aEEG detection and MRI FLAIR sequence detection, MRI FLAIR sequence combined with aEEG detection showed negative predictive value and higher sensitivity, with statistical difference (P<0.05). The results of this study indicate that the use of MRI FLAIR sequence combined with aEEG in the detection of critically premature infants with brain injury has better diagnostic efficacy and better diagnostic value in early diagnosis.

Key words: magnetic resonance fluid attenuated inversion recovery sequence, amplitude integrated electroencephalography, preterm infant, brain injury