A major challenge of treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients is the simultaneously occurring complex secondary injury processes following the primary injury. The secondary events such as cerebral hyperglycolysis and mitochondrial failure develop over minutes to months after the primary injury. This case report details the first time hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate imaging in TBI patients to examine regional metabolic changes in the brain post-traumatic injury. We observed an increased conservation of pyruvate to lactate at the injured sites as well as reduced bicarbonate production.
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