Analysis of the Diagnostic Efficacy of Neonatal Neurobehavioral Assessment Scores Combined with Cranial MRI in Brain Injury Due to Severe Hyperbilirubinemia in Neonates

Qijie Liu, Jianjun Tang, Tao Deng, Lina Zeng, Huimin Zhao, Siyu Chen Pediatric Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College (also known as Chengdu Pidu District People’s Hospital), Chengdu, Sichuan, 611730, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qijie Liu, Email [email protected] and Objective: Current diagnostic methods for SHB-related brain injury (serum bilirubin, ABR testing) have limitations in sensitivity and specificity, often leading to delayed intervention. To investigate the application value of neonatal neurobehavioral assessment (NBNA) scores combined with cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of brain injury in neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia (SHB).Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 25 neonates with SHB who received treatment in our hospital from December 2022 to October 2024 as the experimental group of this study. Additionally, 25 neonates with general hyperbilirubinemia born in our hospital during the same period were included as the control group. The NBNA scores and MRI manifestations of the two groups were compared to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of combined detection.Results: There were no significant differences in the general data between the two groups (P > 0.05). The NBNA scores of the neonates in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The total bilirubin levels of the neonates in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The RSI values in the globus pallidus (GP) region of the neonates in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The NBNA scores of neonates with abnormal cranial MRI were lower than those with normal cranial MRI, and the duration of severe hyperbilirubinemia was shorter in neonates with abnormal cranial MRI than in those with normal cranial MRI (P < 0.05). The accuracy of predicting brain injury using neonatal neurobehavioral assessment scores combined with cranial MRI was higher than that of single diagnosis (P < 0.05).Conclusion: NBNA combined with cranial MRI has high clinical application value in the early diagnosis of brain injury associated with SHB, which can improve the accuracy of diagnosis and provide an important basis for early intervention.Keywords: neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, neurobehavioral assessment score, cranial MRI, brain injury, diagnostic efficacy