Prognosis and risk factors of neonatal cerebral infarction

Abstract

Objective To determine the prognosis and risk factors of neonatal cerebral infarction.Methods From January 2002 to December 2010,44 newborn infants were diagnosed with cerebral infarction by imaging examinations at Peking University First Hospital.The neurodevelopmental outcomes of these newborn infants were followed up and evaluated by clinical manifestations,Gesell development scale,cranial imaging,electroencephalogram and auditory evoked potential.Factors related to prognosis were analyzed with single and multi-factor Logistic regression analysis.Results Thirty-eight (86％) cases were followed up,and of these cases,five children died and the results of three were inconclusive due to small age (less than 6 months old).Among the remaining 30 children,neurodevelopmental outcome was normal in 15 cases and abnormal in the remaining 15 cases,thus,the incidence of sequelae was 50％ (15/30) and the mortality rate was 13％ (5/38).Of the 15 abnormal cases,all had cerebral palsy and movement retardation,eight cases had cognitive impairment,eight cases had epilepsy and five had visual impairment.The incidence of large cerebral infarction (more than one lobe) was 14/15,worse cranial imaging outcome (one month after treatment,cerebral infarction lesion still present or had expanded)was 13/15,and severe complications was 8/15 in the newborns with sequelae,which were higher than in those without sequelae (4/15,5/15 and 1/15,respectively) (x2=13.889,8.889 and 7.778,all P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that large cerebral infarction was a risk factor for sequelae (OR=38.500,95％C1:3.749-395.407,P=0.002),however,worse cranial imaging outcome (OR=8.563,95％CI:0.909-80.683,P=0.061) and severe complications (OR=18.024,95％CI:0.516-630.163,P=0.111) were not risk factors for sequelae.Cerebral infarction with middle cerebral artery injury had a high risk of movement retardation (OR=6.000,95％CI:1.172-3.725,P=0.025),and those with a large cerebral infarction were more likely to have epilepsy (x2=7.273,P=0.010).The incidence of large cerebral infarction in the newborn infants with cognitive impairment was 8/8,which was much higher than in those without cognitive impairment (46％,10/22),thus,infarct area may be related to cognitive ability (x2=7.273,P=0.010).Conclusions Neonatal cerebral infarction might result in many types of sequelae,with motor impairment being the most common form.A large cerebral infarction is more likely to result in abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome. Key words: Brain infarction; Infant, newborn; Prognosis; Risk factors