Compression-hypoxic birth injuries and skull configuration

Abstract

The fetus has birth traumatic, compression-hypoxic, and hypoxic-ischemic brain lesions during childbirth. There are problems in their differentiation in clinical and anatomopathological practice. It is proposed to divide birth traumatic injuries into two types: 1) obvious traumatic injuries and 2) compression-hypoxic traumatic injuries. Signs of compression-hypoxic birth injuries were found in 24.4% of the examined fetuses and newborns delivered via vacuum extraction and application of obstetric forceps. This allows compression hypoxia to be attributed to birth injury rather than to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. It is proposed to use the concept of compression-hypoxic birth injury. The morphological signs that are characteristic of this type of birth injury are given. It is indicated that the impact of physical forces on the fetal head is mediated by its configuration. The mechanisms of birth traumatic injuries are systematized. The pathological configuration of the fetal head is shown to be of importance in explaining the cause of birth injury.