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National survey of periventricular leukomalacia in Japan
S Fujimoto1, H Togari, S Takashima
1Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya City University Medical School, Japan. sfujimot@med.nagoyacu.ac.jp
Background:
Clarification of the present status of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in Japan.
Methods:
Questionnaires were mailed to the leading neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and rehabilitation centers for children.
Results:
The incidence of PVL in the group of surviving preterm infants of gestational ages less than 33 weeks was 4.8-4.9% on ultrasound and 7.7-7.9% on magnetic resonance imaging and/or computed tomography. The incidence of PVL did not decrease between 1990 and 1994. The incidence of PVL in the NICU varied from 0 to 47.1%. Infants from multiple pregnancies had a higher incidence (9.1%) of PVL than those from single pregnancies (6.2%). The proportion of PVL in all patients in rehabilitation centers with cerebral palsy (CP) has increased recently.
Conclusions:
It was roughly calculated that about 750 cases of CP with PVL occurred annually in Japan, thus accounting for about one-third of the total number of cases of CP.