Intraventricular hemorrhage in the neonate born at term

Four term infants were found by computerized cerebral tomography (CT) to have intraventricular hemorrhage. All were male infants who had experienced substantial intrapartum complications. One infant had subtle clinical signs at 2 days of age; the others had major neurologic findings including seizures and ophthalmoplegia that occurred at 1, 4, and 6 weeks of age, respectively. Three infants in whom the hemorrhages were indistinguishable by CT from those described in preterm infants now have arrested hydrocephalus and normal development. The fourth infant was found to have a large glioblastoma at the site of origin of his initial hemorrhage. These cases emphasize the need to consider this diagnosis in neonates born at term who have abnormal neurologic signs.