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State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Ultrasonically detectable cerebellar haemorrhage in preterm infants
Lisa Kenyon McCarthy1, V Donoghue, J F A Murphy
1Department of Neonatology, The National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. lmccarthy@nmh.ie
Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
|January 22, 2011
Summary
Cerebellar haemorrhage (CBH) is a rare but devastating condition in extremely preterm infants, often occurring with severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH). This study found CBH in 1.3% of infants and a 100% mortality rate in affected infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Neurology
- Pediatric Radiology
- Perinatal Medicine
Background:
- Cerebellar haemorrhage (CBH) is a serious complication in preterm infants.
- Routine cranial ultrasound (cUS) is used for neonatal brain imaging.
- Understanding CBH patterns and outcomes is crucial for extremely preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine the frequency and pattern of CBH on cUS in infants ≤32 weeks gestation.
- Compare extremely preterm infants with CBH to those with severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH).
Main Methods:
- Prospective examination of 672 infants (≤32 weeks gestation) for CBH on serial cUS.
- Case-control analysis comparing infants with CBH to those with isolated severe IVH (grade III-IV).
Main Results:
- CBH identified in 9 of 53 infants with severe IVH; incidence 1.3%.
- CBH infants were more preterm (24.4 vs 27.0 weeks), lower birth weight (692 vs 979 g), and predominantly male.
- Mortality was 100% in the CBH group versus 43% in the severe IVH group.
Conclusions:
- Extensive CBH is rare, devastating, and confined to very preterm, extremely low birthweight infants.
- Male predominance and association with severe IVH are noted.
- Co-existence of severe IVH and CBH on cUS is an ominous finding with high mortality.
