ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the association between chorioamnionitis and brain injury in preterm infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 88 preterm infants (28-34 weeks), who were born between June 2008 and June 2011, were divided into a case group (n=41) and a control group (n=47) according to whether or not they had chorioamnionitis. All the infants were examined by brain ultrasonography periodically after birth and underwent brain diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) between 3 and 7 days after birth. The two groups were compared in terms of the incidence of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and periventricular and intraventricular hemorrhage (PVH-IVH) by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the corrected gestational age of 40 weeks.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was statistical significance in the incidence of PVL between the case and the control groups (32% vs 6%; P<0.05), but no significant difference in the incidence of PVH-IVH between the two groups (27% vs 23%; P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Chorioamnionitis is associated with brain injury in preterm infants, increasing the incidence of PVL but having little influence over the incidence of PVH-IVH.</p>
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Pregnancy , Cerebral Hemorrhage , Epidemiology , Chorioamnionitis , Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Incidence , Infant, Premature , Leukomalacia, Periventricular , EpidemiologyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of the early use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhu-EPO) on neurobehavioral development in preterm infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-four preterm infants (30 males and 14 females) were randomly divided into two groups: Rhu-EPO treatment and untreated control (n=22 each). From postnatal day 7, the Rhu-EPO treatment group received intravenous rhu-EPO (250 IU/kg3 times weekly) for 4 weeks. A Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment (NBNA) was performed at 40 weeks of corrected gestational age. A Gesell Development Schedule was used to evaluate neurological development 6 and 12 months after birth.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The NBNA score in the rhu-EPO treatment group (36.20+/-0.75) was significantly higher than that in the control group (34.40+/-1.05) at 40 weeks of corrected gestational age (P<0.05). The developmental quotient of fine motor in the rhu-EPO treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group 6 months after birth (P<0.05). By 12 months after birth, the developmental quotient of gross motor, fine motor and language in the rhu-EPO treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Early use of Rhu-EPO can promote neurobehavioral development in preterm infants.</p>