Severity of abruptio placentae and neurodevelopmental outcome in low birth weight infants.

The short term neonatal morbidity and 2-year neurodevelopmental outcome were evaluated in 40 low birthweight (< 2500 g) liveborn infants delivered after abruptio placentae and in 80 control infants of similar gestational age. Apgar scores at 1' and 5' were lower in infants born to mothers with severe abruption. The prevalence of intraventricular hemorrhage (Grades I-IV) was 17.5% (7/40) in the cases and 5% (4/80) in the controls (P = 0.035). Cystic periventricular leukomalacia was diagnosed in two cases (5%) and in none of the controls (P = 0.1). At 2-year follow-up, among surviving infants, cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia, hemiplegia or tetraplegia with or without mental retardation) was diagnosed in 11.1% (4/36) of the cases and in none of the 76 controls (P = 0.011). After adjustment by logistic regression analysis for the effect of confounders (gestational age, birthweight, social class and duration of mother's education) the odds ratio of a poor outcome defined as neonatal death or cerebral palsy was 4.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.2-17.0) in index cases as a whole and 8.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.5 to 43.0) in the subgroup of infants born after severe abruption. Mild abruption did not affect the 2-year infant outcome in both univariate and multivariate analysis.