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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
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Modeling Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage Through Intraventricular Injection of Hemoglobin
Published on: August 25, 2022
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School Performance of Preterm-Born Children After Intraventricular Hemorrhage
Philippa Rees1, Mithilesh Dronavalli2, Ben Carter3
1Population Policy and Practice, University College London Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom.
JAMA Network Open
|December 11, 2025
Summary
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in preterm infants can impact school performance. High-grade IVH is linked to poorer academic outcomes, while low-grade IVH shows limited effects, emphasizing the need for continued educational support for all preterm children.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric neurology
- Educational psychology
Background:
- Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a common complication in preterm infants, affecting about 20% of this population.
- The long-term academic consequences of IVH, beyond those attributed to prematurity alone, remain understudied, creating a significant knowledge gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and national school performance in children from childhood through adolescence.
- To compare academic outcomes between very preterm infants with varying grades of IVH and their peers.
Main Methods:
- A population-based cohort study in New South Wales, Australia, included very preterm infants (<32 weeks' gestation) and full-term controls.
- Cohorts comprised very preterm infants with low-grade (1-2) or high-grade (3-4) IVH, very preterm controls without IVH, and full-term controls.
- National standardized school assessments were analyzed for overall and domain-specific performance at ages 8-9, 10-11, and 12-13 years.
Main Results:
- Children with high-grade IVH consistently performed significantly worse than very preterm controls across all assessed age groups.
- Low-grade IVH (grades 1-2) showed limited impact, except for grade 2 IVH, which was associated with poorer performance at age 8-9.
- Numeracy was a particular area of difficulty for children with high-grade IVH; academic trajectories showed improvement over time but group differences remained fixed.
Conclusions:
- High-grade intraventricular hemorrhage is associated with persistent academic deficits into adolescence.
- While low-grade IVH has a limited impact, grade 2 IVH warrants attention. Educational support is crucial for all preterm children to achieve their potential.
- This study highlights the importance of monitoring academic progress in preterm infants with IVH and providing tailored educational interventions.
