[Complications of intracranial hemorrhage in full term newborns]

The incidence of various types of intracranial hemorrhage is different in full-term infants than those that occur in small premature infants. Consequently, the complications are for the most part different. The previous article described the types of hemorrhage occurring at term, as well as their signs and symptoms. This brief review will focus on the complications that may arise from these. Examples are given of superficially occurring hemorrhages and of those that arise deeper in the parenchyma of the brain. The actual bleed is the acute event that may become subacutely complicated by virtue of its position or by extension. This occurs as part of the natural process or as a result of injudicious intervention. There follow chronic complications: cerebral palsy, intellectual deficit and seizure disorder which remain for the patient's lifetime.