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Am J Perinatol
DOI: 10.1055/a-2567-5178
Review Article

Utility of Abdominal Near Infrared Spectroscopy in the Management of Neonates: A Review

Dipen Vyas
1   Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's of Mississippi, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
,
Jennifer Ware
1   Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's of Mississippi, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
,
Lauren Billington
1   Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's of Mississippi, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
,
Ricardo J. Rodriguez
3   Department of Pediatrics/Neonatology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
,
Jeffrey Shenberger
2   Department of Pediatrics/Neonatology, Connecticut Children's, Hartford, Connecticut
,
Parvesh M. Garg
3   Department of Pediatrics/Neonatology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina
› Author Affiliations Funding P.M.G. was partially supported by the NIGMS of the NIH (award number: U54GM115428). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
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Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive technique that utilizes light in the near-infrared spectrum to assess regional tissue oxygenation. The initial application of NIRS focused on measuring cerebral oxygenation. Recently, numerous studies focused on the utility of NIRS in measuring abdominal regional perfusion in preterm and full-term neonates—hepatic (right subcostal) and mesenteric (left lower quadrant/infra-umbilical probe). Abdominal NIRS, specifically the infraumbilical values obtained within the first week of life, is a useful tool for the evaluation of feeding intolerance and an early marker of the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) as changes in NIRS in the first 24 hours of abdominal symptoms helps define NEC severity. In addition, NIRS holds promise in identifying changes in abdominal regional perfusion with blood transfusion. The goal of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of factors affecting abdominal NIRS measurements, specifically alterations associated with feeding, blood transfusion, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We present information from the published clinical research in conjunction with information collected from an extensive search in the databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus.

Key Points

  • Abdominal NIRS is still an underutilized tool at the bedside in various clinical conditions.

  • Compared with cerebral NIRS, splanchnic NIRS has more variability.

  • Splanchnic NIRS can be used for clinical conditions such as feeding, blood transfusion, and NEC.

  • There is a need for standardized algorithms in infants based on their GA and clinical diagnosis.

Keywords

preterm infant - NIRS - NEC - feeding - transfusion

Authors' Contributions

P.M.G. designed the study. D.V., P.M.G., J.W., L.B., R.J.R., and J.S.S. wrote the article. All the authors approved the manuscript.




Publication History

Received: 20 November 2024

Accepted: 26 March 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
27 March 2025

Article published online:
17 April 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

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