Relationship between peri-intraventricular hemorrhage and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in very low-birthweight infants

The incidence of hyperbilirubinemia (serum bilirubin values greater than 205 mumol/l) in two groups of preterm infants (birthweight less than 1500 gm) with and without peri-intraventricular hemorrhage (PIVH) was studied. In the first 10 days of life, 16 (39%) of the 41 infants with PIVH vs. 22 (46.8%) of those without PIVH (n = 47) had high bilirubin levels. No difference in peak serum bilirubin concentrations nor a need for phototherapy was noted between the two groups (P greater than 0.07). Forty-one infants had PIVH: 30 had PIVH grade I or II and 11 had grade III or IV. No statistically significant correlation was found between degree of PIVH and hyperbilirubinemia. Moreover, at 12 months corrected age, major and minor handicaps were equally distributed between the two groups. The neurologic outcome appeared to relate, in largest part, to the severity of the PIVH, and to not be influenced by the hyperbilirubinemia. We conclude that there is no positive relationship between incidence and extension of PIVH, plasma bilirubin levels, and outcome in very low-birth weight infants.