Follow-up of infants receiving cranial ultrasound for intracranial hemorrhage
K. A. TeKolste, F. C. Bennett and L. A. Mack
Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was detected in 38 preterm neonates, using
cranial ultrasonic (US) scanning. Forty-three preterm neonates examined
during the same period but who had no cranial US evidence of ICH were also
identified. Neurodevelopmental follow-up was performed at a mean age of
22.3 months on these 81 children. As a group, children with ICH
demonstrated developmental indexes in the normal range but about ten points
lower than children without ICH. The outcome in survivors of grade III ICH
was quite similar to the outcome in survivors of grades I and II ICH.
Survivors of grade IV (intraparenchymal) hemorrhage had a worse outcome.
Cerebral palsy was significantly more prevalent in children with ICH. Only
two thirds of children without ICH had a completely normal outcome,
reinforcing the concept that factors other than ICH alone contribute to
neurodevelopmental morbidity in this population.
