Intracranial haemorrhage in the term infant confirmed by computed tomography

In 8 singleton term infants and 1 postterm infant diagnosis of intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) was clinically established on the 2nd to the 12th day of life and subsequently confirmed by computed tomography (CT). Birth asphyxia was present in 1 infant only. 1 patient died, another developed progressing post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus requiring a shunt. On follow-up at 2 1/2 to 30 months, psychomotor development was found to be normal in 6 children, mildly delayed in 1 and markedly delayed in another. On comparing our results of ICH in term infants to other published data on both term and preterm infants, we found that in both groups of patients ICH usually occurred within the first 7 days of life and that CT findings were often identical. Mortality rate of preterm babies with ICH was found to be 4.5 times higher than that of term babies while in surviving patients incidence of posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus was approximately the same. Repeated lumbar punctures were shown to be therapeutically successful in some preterm infants with posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus. We consider it worth while to use this approach in term infants, too, before placement of a shunt is considered. Etiologic factors and pathogenesis of ICH are briefly discussed at the end of the paper.