Neonatal Med.  2023 May;30(2):42-48. 10.5385/nm.2023.30.2.42.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes and Brain Volumetric Analysis of Low-Grade Intraventricular Hemorrhage

• Park SG
• Yang HJ
• Lim SY
• Kim SH
• Shin SH
• Kim EK
• Kim HS

• KMID: 2542546
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5385/nm.2023.30.2.42

Abstract

Purpose
Extremely preterm infants are prone to brain injury and underdevelopment. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is the most common cause of brain injury and a significant risk factor for neurodevelopmental delay in preterm infants. Severe IVH is known to have a poor outcome; however, the outcomes of low-grade IVH remain controversial. This study aimed to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes and brain segmental volumes of preterm infants with low-grade IVH.
Methods
This retrospective cohort study included 109 extremely preterm infants who underwent term equivalent age-magnetic resonance imaging and neurodevelopmental evaluation at a corrected age of 18 to 24 months. We compared infants with and without low-grade IVH.
Results
Among the 109 extremely preterm infants, 25 had low-grade IVH and 84 had no IVH. There were no significant differences in the neurodevelopmental outcomes between the low-grade and no IVH groups. In multivariate analysis, low-grade IVH was associated with a smaller medullary volume (adjusted odds ratio, 0.575; 95% confidence interval, 0.346 to 0.957; P=0.034).
Conclusion
We found no significant differences in the neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely preterm infants at a corrected age of 18 to 24 months between those with low-grade IVH and those without IVH. Low-grade IVH was associated with a smaller medullary volume.

Keyword

Prematurity; Intraventricular hemorrhage; Brain regions; Neurodevelopmental disorders