Beschreibung:
Cerebral periventricular hemorrhage (PVH) of preterm neonates can be defined as hemorrhage arising in the germinal layer that may rupture into the ventricles or provoke hemorrhagic parenchymal infarction. PVH has been a major focus of attention for perinatologists since the 1970s and 1980s when studies by computed tomography and echosonography showed that it was very common in neonates who were of very low birth weight (< 1500 g) or born very preterm (< 33 weeks gestation). Up to 50% of such neonates were affected and the prevalence in survivors was about one in three.1,2 As well as being an important cause of death, PVH has been a significant cause of neurodevelopmental impairment in surviving neonates.3