Neurodevelopmental outcome in survivors of periventricular hemorrhagic infarction.

Objectives: Periventricular hemorrhagic infarction is a serious complication of germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants. Our objective was to determine the neurodevelopmental and adaptive outcomes of periventricular hemorrhagic infarction survivors and identify early cranial ultrasound predictors of adverse outcome.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all cranial ultrasounds of 30 premature infants with periventricular hemorrhagic infarction and assigned a cranial ultrasound-based periventricular hemorrhagic infarction severity score (range: 0-3) on the basis of whether periventricular hemorrhagic infarction (1) involved > or = 2 territories, (2) was bilateral, or (3) caused midline shift.

Does cerebellar injury in premature infants contribute to the high prevalence of long-term cognitive, learning, and behavioral disability in survivors?

Objective: Although cerebellar hemorrhagic injury is increasingly diagnosed in infants who survive premature birth, its long-term neurodevelopmental impact is poorly defined. We sought to delineate the potential role of cerebellar hemorrhagic injury in the long-term disabilities of survivors of prematurity.

Design: We compared neurodevelopmental outcome in 3 groups of premature infants (N = 86; 35 isolated cerebellar hemorrhagic injury, 35 age-matched controls, 16 cerebellar hemorrhagic injury plus supratentorial parenchymal injury).