[Problems and outcome in extremely low birth weight newborns, depending on the mode of delivery]

Of this study is to determine the impact of the mode of delivery on survival, morbidity and prognosis of ELBW and extremely low gestational age (ELGA) newborns.

The retrospective review includes ELBW and ELGA infants born at the State maternity hospital "Maichin dom" Sofia from 1997 to 1999. These are 95 newborns divided into two groups: 31 born by Cesarean section (C. s.), and 64--per vias naturals (p. v. n.) with subgroups: 42--vertex, 22--breech delivery. Resuscitation is similar in all groups, according the routine practice. They are compared by the following indexes: rate of survival, Apgar scores at the 1-st and at the 5-th min, pH from the umbilical artery (u. a.), rate of the intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH) and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), and early nevrodevelopmental outcome.

The birth weight of all babies includes ranges from 500 to 999 g and the gestational age (g. a.) is > 24 weeks of gestation. There is no statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) according birth weight, pathology and treatment of the mother, between the two groups. In the C. s. group 17 babies survived (55%) while in p. v. n. 30 survived (47%), the worst was survival between the babies, delivered in breech presentation--7 (32%), p < 0.05. There is no significant difference between pH and BE from u. a., but Apgar scores are worse in the breech group, p < 0.05. The incidence of all grades IVH and PVL is almost the same, but there is a significant difference in the incidence of severe, grade 3 and 4 IVH and PVL (19% in C. s. group versus 48% p. v. n. group). The survivors with severe IVH are 57% among the breech delivered (p < 0.05) compared with respectively 33% and 26% among c. s. and vertex delivered groups. A CONCLUSION: Is made that C. s. provides better chances for a safe survival in ELBW and ELGA newborns and better prognosis for neurodevelopmental outcome. With the worst prognosis are the breech delivered ELBW babies.