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Progressive Hydrocephalus in Infants With Birth Weights Less Than 1,500 g
Peter R. Camfield, MD;
Carol S. Camfield, MD;
Alexander C. Allen, MD;
Elihu P. Rees, MD;
Dora A. Stinson, MD;
Lydia E. Urban, MD
Arch Neurol. 1981;38(10):653-655.
Abstract
• Premature infants have been frequently observed to manifest hydrocephalus after intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). For the complete newborn population of Nova Scotia in 1976 to 1978, we found a very low incidence of hydrocephalus in children whose birth weight was less than 1,500 g. Eighty-two percent of these babies were born in a perinatal center; 18% were transported. Chart review of survivors (58%) and autopsy review of deaths (autopsy rate, 86%) showed that in the province's three neonatal intensive care units, only four of 314 such babies manifested progressive hydrocephalus. Only one of four infants was examined after IVH. An IVH was noted at autopsy in 42% of cases. No survivor manifested hydrocephalus one to three years later as judged by head circumference and neurosurgical records. Our results may reflect the impact of regionalized perinatal care, or that post-IVH hydrocephalus is rare in an unselected population.
Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Pediatrics, the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital for Children (Drs P. Camfield, C. Camfield, and Rees), and Grace Maternity Hospital (Drs Allen and Stinson), Dalhousie University, Halifax; and St Rita's Hospital (Dr Urban), Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Footnotes
Accepted for publication Jan 24, 1981.
Presented in part at the Canadian Congress of Neurologic Sciences Meeting, June 19, 1980.
Reprint requests to Izaak Walton Killam Hospital for Children, PO Box 3070, Halifax B3J 3G9, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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