Prediction of perinatal brain damage by cord plasma vasopressin, erythropoietin, and hypoxanthine values.

For an assessment of whether cord plasma arginine vasopressin, erythropoietin, and hypoxanthine concentrations are predictors of perinatal brain damage, these concentrations were measured in 62 infants born after preeclampsia of pregnancy, 31 acutely asphyxiated infants, and 38 control infants. Follow-up at 2 years included neurologic examination and the determination of a Bayley mental score. Clear abnormality (death, cerebral palsy, or developmental delay) was found in four infants in the preeclampsia group and five in the asphyxia group; slight abnormality was found in 12 and 6 infants, respectively; and no abnormality was found in the remainder. Neither arginine vasopressin values nor hypoxanthine values predicted adverse outcome in either study group. A high erythropoietin level was found in infants born after preeclampsia regardless of outcome: normal outcome (geometric mean (GM), 102; 95% confidence interval [CI], 69 to 153 mU/ml), slightly abnormal outcome (GM, 100; 95% CI, 37 to 270 mU/ml) or clearly abnormal outcome (GM, 84; 95% CI, 19 to 378 mU/ml). However, asphyxiated infants with clearly abnormal outcome had higher erythropoietin values (GM, 67; 95% CI, 33 to 137 mU/ml; p less than 0.05) than the normal infants (GM, 37; 95% CI, 23 to 59 mU/ml). We conclude that a high erythropoietin level after normal pregnancy, but not after preeclampsia, indicates an increased risk for cerebral palsy or death.