Cerebroventricular Haemorrhage Research Articles

Clinical features and treatment of the hemorrhagic moyamoya disease

Objective To study the clinical features, bleeding reasons and strategies of the treatment of 61 patients with hemorrhagic moyamoya disease. Method The clinical features of onset, bleeding location of the lesions and the type, characteristics of DSA images and therapeutic results were studied retrospectively. Results In all 61 patients, 57 patients were adult. Most of them were cerebral hemorrhage breaking into ventricles. In all the hemisphere of hemorrhage, dilatation and abnormal branching of the AChA and P-CoM were observed in 52 patients. 118 procedures of EDAS were performed,including superficial temporal artery in 116 hemispheres and occipital artery in 2 hemispheres. There was no recurrence of hemorrhage in those operation patients. But 2 patients without EDAS died due to recurrence of hemorrhage. Conclusions Dilatation and abnormal branching of the AChA and/or P - CoM are one of the main reasons for hemorrhagic events. The treatment of EDAS may be an effective method for preventing the recurrence of hemorrhage of hemorrhagic moyamoya disease. Key words: Moyamoya disease; Cerebral hemorrhage; Cerebroventricular haemorrhage

Survival, cranial ultrasound and cerebral palsy in very low birthweight infants: 1980s versus 1990s.

To determine the changes in the rates of survival, cranial ultrasound abnormalities and cerebral palsy in very low birthweight (VLBW) (birthweight 500-1499 g) infants between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. A cohort study of consecutive VLBW live births in one tertiary perinatal hospital during two distinct eras was performed at The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, a level-III perinatal centre. Consecutive VLBW infants born over the 18-month period from 1 October 1980 (n = 222), and over the 12-month period from 1 January 1992 (n = 202) were identified. The main outcome measures were the proportions of live births surviving to 5 years of age, rates of cranial ultrasound abnormalities, and rates of cerebral palsy at 5 years of age. Over the 18 months from 1 October 1980, 68% (150/222) VLBW live births survived to 5 years of age. The survival rate rose substantially to 82% (165/202) during 1992 (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.4-3.2). The survival rate increased over time more for those of 500-999 g birthweight than for those of 1000-1499 g birthweight. The rates of cerebroventricular haemorrhage (CVH) were similar inlive births and survivors from both eras, as were the rates of cerebral palsy (7.5% in 1980-82; 7.8% in 1992) in survivors seen at 5 years of age. The positive predictive value of CVH for cerebral palsy was low, but cystic periventricular leucomalacia was followed by cerebral palsy in seven of eight survivors from the 1992 cohort. Despite the increasing survival rate with improvements in perinatal care, including more antenatal steroid therapy and the introduction of exogenous surfactant, the rates of CVH and of cerebral palsy in survivors have not diminished.

Methylxanthines and sensorineural outcome at 14 years in children < 1501 g birthweight.

Methylxanthines, including theophylline, have been used extensively and successfully to treat apnoea in preterm infants. However, long-term consequences of such therapy are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between theophylline therapy and outcome at 14 years of age in surviving preterm children of birthweight < 1501 g. The subjects of this study were 154 consecutive survivors with birthweights < 1501 g born from 1 October 1980 to 31 March 1982; 130 (84.4%) were assessed at 14 years of age. Outcomes included motor function, psychological test scores, and growth. Of the 130 children assessed, 69 (53.1%) had been exposed to theophylline; 13.0% had cerebral palsy, significantly higher than 1.6% in the 61 children not exposed to theophylline (P < 0.02). This difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for potential confounding variables including the presence of cerebroventricular haemorrhage. In contrast, after adjusting for known confounding variables, children who had received theophylline achieved higher psychological test scores. There was no association between theophylline therapy and growth. Theophylline therapy in the newborn period is associated with some evidence of harmful, but also helpful sensorineural effects at 14 years of age.

Neonatal cranial ultrasonography as predictor of 2 year outcome of very low birthweight infants

Real time ultrasound scans using an ATL 300C sector scanner with 5-7.5 MHz transducer were performed on days 1, 4, 7 and thereafter as clinically necessary on 153 consecutively discharged very low birthweight (VLBW) infants. One hundred and forty-six long-term survivors were assessed fully at 2 years. The prevalence of cerebroventricular haemorrhage (CVH) in these survivors was 34.2% (grade 1-21.2%; grade 2-4.8%; grade 3-3.4%; grade 4-4.8%), ventricular dilatation 19.9% (including 4.1% with ventriculoperitoneal shunt), and ischaemia 9%. Impairments at 2 years were classified as nil, mild, moderate, severe or multiply severe, based on the criteria of Kitchen et al. Overall, 120 infants (82.2%) were unimpaired and 6.2% had mild, 3.4% had moderate, 4.1% had severe and 4.1% had multiply severe impairment. The major factors associated with impairment were gestational age less than 28 weeks, birthweight less than 1000 g, vaginal delivery, respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, pulmonary air leaks and CVH. When these factors were reanalysed in a logistic regression model for odds ratios, only CVH (P less than 0.005) and birth by spontaneous vaginal delivery (P less than 0.05) were significant. The prevalence of impairment was 11.4% with no CVH, 6.5% grade 1, 71% grade 2, 20.0% grade 3 and 100.0% grade 4 CVH. The sensitivity of CVH of grade 2 or greater as a screening test was 64.7% for impairment, 78.6% for cerebral palsy and 70% for severe intellectual handicap. The mean general quotient (GQ) (Griffiths) at 2 years for infants with CVH was 89.1, and 97.5 for those without CVH (P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clinical spectrum and outcome of neonatal convulsions.

The clinical spectrum and outcome of neonatal convulsions within an obstetric hospital population were reviewed for the 5 years, 1978-82, inclusive. There were 156 convulsing neonates managed at the Mater Mothers Hospital (110 inborn, 46 outborn). The incidence of early neonatal convulsions for inborn babies was 3.0/1000 live births. Antenatal and perinatal risk factors were compared between the 156 convulsing infants and the 36,082 infants born during the same period who did not convulse. The leading risk factors for convulsions were prematurity, intra-uterine growth retardation, low 5 min Apgar score, pre-eclampsia, antepartum haemorrhage, twin pregnancy and breech presentation. The predominant seizure type was tonic in 28.6%, multifocal clonic in 27.2%, subtle in 18.4%, myoclonic in 15.0% and focal clonic in 8.8%. Mortality (31%) and long-term disability (43%) rates were high. Tonic seizures had the highest mortality and morbidity. Throughout the duration of the study period infants received increasingly thorough investigation. Causative factors were determined in 95% of convulsing infants, most frequent being hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (40.3%) and cerebroventricular haemorrhage (30.5%). Follow-up data on 99 of the 107 survivors (93%) revealed severe disability in 25, moderate disability in eight and mild disability in 10. A poor long-term prognosis was associated with prolonged convulsions, tonic and multifocal clonic convulsions, convulsions due to asphyxia and cerebroventricular haemorrhage and an abnormal neurological examination at discharge.

Development of oral function in pre-term infants

Establishment of functional oral feeding is an important aspect of care of infants born pre-term. The developmental patterns of intra- and extra-oral responses provide some uesful guidelines.A study of six such responses (gag, cough, non-nutritive suck, rooting, suck-swallow and nutritive sucking) in 110 very low birth weight infants (mean gestational age 29; s.d. 2.5 weeks, mean birthweight 1136; s.d. 212.3 gms) during the period of perinatal hospitalisation (mean 68.35; s.d. 26.1 days) revealed that these responses could be stimulated several weeks before reaching a consistently functional level of maturity. The gag reflex, elicitable at 29 weeks in 90% of infants, was not consistently functional until 33 weeks. No other responses were consistently mature until 37 weeks. Development of responses was not significantly altered by age at birth, birthweight, mechanical ventilation or sex. The presence of cerebro-ventricular haemorrhage and ventricular dilatation as determined by cranial ultrasound significa...

Mortality and two year outcome of infants of birthweight 500‐1500 g: relationship with neonatal cerebral ultrasound data

Cranial ultrasounds were performed on 218 (96%) of 227 liveborn infants of birthweight 500-1500 g delivered in the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, in an 18-month period concluding in March 1982. Seventy-two (31.7%) of the children died; 28 children (38.9%) had cerebroventricular haemorrhage, 35 (48.6%) showed no bleeding and there were nine (12.5%) with no data. Paired necropsy and ultrasound data were congruent in 22 (88%) of 25 children. One hundred and forty-eight (95.5%) of 155 survivors were seen at 2 years of age. Forty-one (28%) had cerebroventricular haemorrhage; nine children (6%) had both ventricular dilatation and haemorrhage and two had ventricular dilatation alone. Apart from a marginal advance in gestation and higher number of immigrant and less educated mothers in children without cerebroventricular haemorrhage, all other perinatal, biographical and social variables between those with haemorrhage and those without were similar. The major handicap rate overall was 14.2% (21 patients). The children with cerebroventricular haemorrhage had a trend for greater prevalence of handicap and lower mean Bayley psychological scores. This was even more evident with ventricular dilatation being present. Of children with major handicap 57.1% (12/21) had normal serial ultrasound findings during their primary hospitalization. Major handicap occurred in 15% (3/20) of children with grade 1 haemorrhage, 23.5% (4/17) with grade 2 or 3 bleeds and 25% (1/4) of those with grade 4 haemorrhage. Laterality of cerebral palsy did not correlate with ultrasound findings. Ultrasound findings did not improve statistical prediction of deaths or major handicap.

Timing of neonatal cerebroventricular haemorrhage with ultrasound.

Sequential real-time ultrasound examinations were performed in 174 neonates to determine the time of occurrence of cerebroventricular haemorrhage (CVH). Of the 47 infants in whom CVH was detected, in 36 (77%) CVH was present at the first examination. Of the 34 infants with CVH who were examined first within 6 hours of birth, 24 (71%) already had haemorrhage demonstrable at the initial scan. Extension of a CVH after its initial detection occurred in only 3 infants. Of 124 consecutive infants of birthweights less than 1500 g, 38 (31%) developed CVH, 56% of the outborn and 27% of the inborn babies. Our results indicate that most infants who develop CVH have done so within 6 hours of birth.