Two year longitudinal followup of premature infants weighing less than or equal to 1,200 grams at birth: sequelae of intracranial hemorrhage.

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a major problem for the premature infant, occurring in more than one-third of surviving infants weighing less than or equal to 1,500 g at birth. The literature on perinatal ICH, as it relates to neurodevelopment outcome, is briefly reviewed, and preliminary results from our two-year followup of 75 less than or equal to 1,200-g infants are summarized. An analysis of pathophysiology, diagnosis, classification, and followup indicates that risk for ICH and its sequelae increases as gestational age and birth weight decrease. Hydrocephalus apparently no longer presents significant risk beyond that conveyed by the original hemorrhage. However, persistent posthemorrhagic ventriculomegaly and/or periventricular abnormalities serve as significant "markers" of risk for neuromotor delay through two years of age. In contrast, recovery of normal ventricular morphology by term gestational age apparently indexes a degree of recovery from ICH and predicts a more normal developmental outcome through the first two postnatal years.