Brain scanner for babies

It has long been known that a lack of oxygen during birth can cause brain damage in babies.

Yet until Action Medical Research funding helped develop and adapt the use of infra-red scanning technology, there was no way of monitoring oxygen in the brain of an unborn baby while it was being delivered.

Like ultrasound, infra-red technology was originally developed for military use. However, scientists noted its potential application for medicine, and doctors at University College London were able to develop a scanner for monitoring babies' brains in intensive care.

In the 1990s, Action Medical Research funded a number of projects to enable the transition of the infra-red scanner from the intensive care unit to the delivery suite.

By 'looking inside the brain', doctors hoped to be able to spot babies who were experiencing a shortage of oxygen during delivery.

The scanner works by placing optical fibres on the baby's scalp while it's in the birth canal so that harmless infra-red rays can be shone through. The absorption of light, which depends on the amount of oxygen in the blood, is measured and analysed by a sophisticated computer, using software developed with Action Medical Research funding.

Since then the scanner has been used in a number of research studies around the world to provide unique information to help doctors minimise the risk of brain damage in babies.