Centre for Preterm Birth Studies: Preterm Birth

Outcomes of Preterm Infants with a Periventricular Venous Infarction in the Neonatal Period: A Single Site Perspective

Category

Preterm Birth

Sub-Categories

Database

Details

Lead: Elizabeth Asztalos

The preterm infant is at high risk of a number of brain abnormalities seen on cranial ultrasound and/ or magnetic resonance imaging. White brain matter injuries in this group of infants remain a common outcome and long associated with adverse long-term outcomes. Among these injuries is the presence of a hyperechoic lesion in the white matter adjacent to a large intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and sometimes referred to as a “grade IV IVH”. The incidence of PVHI has remained stable over the past decades and can be between 3% and 11% of preterm infants. In survivors, neurodevelopmental outcomes from 2 years of age onward have reported an incidence of cerebral palsy from 50% to 85% and impairment of cognition between 20% to 79%. It is not clear if the incidence has changed in recent times. In addition, it is not clear how much of an impact on death or neurodevelopment this lesion has compared to having no lesion or a minimal lesion as identified on cranial ultrasound.