Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Modeling Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus of Prematurity in Rats
Published on: March 28, 2025
Perinatal infratentorial haemorrhage: a rare but possibly life-threatening condition
Bettina Cornelia Henzi1, Bendicht Wagner2, Rajeev Kumar Verma3
1Division of Neuropaediatrics, University Children's Hospital, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Background:
Perinatal infratentorial haemorrhage (PIH) is a rare birth complication associated with abnormal labour.
Case Presentation:
A baby boy was born by vacuum extraction at 41 weeks' gestational age. The pregnancy was uneventful and Apgar scores were 3/6/9. Following initial resuscitation, insufficient and irregular breathing, non-reactive pupils and absence of spontaneous movements were noted. A diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) was considered. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for 72 hours was initiated. Cerebral ultrasound showed only a mildly hyperechogenic periventricular substance. A brain MRI on the fourth day of life revealed a subdural haemorrhage in the posterior fossa with compression of the fourth ventricle.
Conclusion:
PIH is an important differential diagnosis to HIE that can be missed with ultrasound. PIH is a treatable condition but may be aggravated by TH. Therefore, in neonates at risk for PIH, a more detailed ultrasound protocol or brain MRI should be considered early.
