BACKGROUND; It has been proved that brain electrical activity mapping (BEAM) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) detection can reflect the function of brain cell and its diseased degree of infant patients with moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).OBJECTIVE: To observe the abnormal results of HIE at different degrees detected with BEAM and TCD in infant patients, and compare the detection results at the same time point between BEAM, TCD and computer tomography (CT) examinations.DESTGN: Contrast observation.SETTING: Departments of Neuro-electrophysiology and Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical College.PARTICTPANTS: Totally 416 infant patients with HIE who received treatment in the Department of Newb Infants, Second Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical College during January 2001 and December 2005. The infant patients, 278 male and 138 female, were at embryonic 37 to 42 weeks and weighing 2.0 to 4.1 kg, and they were diagnosed with CT and met the diagnostic criteria of HIE of newb infants compiled by Department of Neonatology, Pediatric Academy, Chinese Medical Association. According to diagnostic criteria, 130patients were mild abnormal, 196 moderate abnormal and 90 severe abnormal. The relatives of all the infant patients were informed of the experiment.METHODS: BEAM and TCD examinations were performed in the involved 416 infant patients with HIE at different degrees with DYD2000 16-channel BEAM instrument and EME-2000 ultrasonograph before preliminary diagnosis treatment (within 1 month after birth) and 1,3,6,12 and 24 months after birth, and detected results were compared between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations.MATN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of detection results of HIE at different time points in infant patients between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations. RESULTS: All the 416 infant patients with HIE participated in the result analysis. ① Comparison of the detected results in infant patients with mild HIE at different time points after birth between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations: BEAM examination showed that the recovery was delayed, and the abnormal rate of BEAM examination was significantly higher than that of CT examination 1 and 3 months after birth [55.4％(72/130)vs.rn17.0％ (22/130) ,χ2=41.66 ;29.2％ (38/130 ) vs. 6.2％ (8/130) ,χ2=23.77, P ＜ 0.01], exceptional patients had mild abnormality and reached the normal level in about 6 months. TCD examination showed that the disease condition significantly improved and infant patients with HIE basically recovered 1 or 2 months after birth, while CT examination showed that infant patients recovered 3 or 4 months after birth. ② Comparison of detection results of infant patients with moderate HIE at different time points between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations: The abnormal rate of BEAM examination was significantly higher than that of CT examination 1,3,6 and 12 months after birth [90.8(178/196),78.6％ (154/196),χ2=4.32,P ＜ 0.05;64.3(126/196),43.9％(86/196) ,χ2=16.44 ;44.9％ (88/196) ,22.4％ (44/196) ,χ2=22.11 ;21.4％(42/196), 10.2％ (20/196) ,χ2=9.27, P＜0.01]. BEAM examination showed that there was still one patient who did not completely recovered in the 24th month due to the relatives of infant patients did not combine the treatment,. TCD examination showed rnthat the abnormal rate was 23.1％(30/196)in the 1st month after birth, and all the patients recovered to the normal in the 3rd month after birth, while CT examination showed that mild abnormality still existed in the 24th month after birth(1.0％,2/196). ③ Comparison of detection results of infant patients with severe HIE at different time points between BEAM, TCD and CT examinations: The abnormal rate of BEAM examination was significantly higher than that of CT examination in the 1st 3rd, 6th and 12th months after birth[86.7%(78/90),44.4% (40/90),χ2=35.53;62.2% (56/90),31.1% (28/90),χ2=17.51 ;37.8% (34/90),6.7% (6/90),χ2=27.14,P ＜ 0.01]. BEAM examination showed that mild abnormality still existed in 4 infant patients in the 24th month after birth. TCD examination showed that the abnormal rate was 11.1% (10/90) in the 3rd month after birth, and all the infant patients recovered in the 6th month after birth. CT examination showed that the abnormal rate was 6.7%(6/90) in the 12th month after birth, and all of infant patients recovered to the normal in the 24th month after birth.CONCLUSION: BEAM is the direct index to detect brain function of infant patients with HIE, and positive reaction is still very sensitive in the tracking detection of convalescent period. The positive rate of morphological reaction in CT examination is superior to that in TCD examination, and the positive rate is very high in the acute period of HIE in examination.