Factors associated with periventricular hemorrhage in very low birthweight infants

SUMMARY Periventricular haemorrhage was diagnosed in vivo in 20 of 39 consecutively admitted infants of birthweight below 1500 g using an ultrasound scanner. Ten (51 %) infants with haemorrhages survived. Mortality was related to the extent of the bleeding. Statistically significant associations with respiratory distress, ventilator therapy, metabolic acidosis, and hypercapnia were observed, lending support to their role in the pathogenesis of periventricular haemorrhage. Periventricular haemorrhage (PVH) is a common cause of death in infants of very low birthweights. Clinical diagnosis is often difficult, and most studies concerning pathogenesis of PVH have been of cases diagnosed at necropsy. The introduction of com-puterised tomography (CT) scans has allowed in vivo diagnosis of PVH to be made, and has shown a much higher incidence than had been expected.1 2 Two-dimensional ultrasound scanning has also been used successfully to visualise PVH in vivo.3