The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Dec 2006
Multicenter StudyPeriventricular leukomalacia with late-onset circulatory dysfunction of premature infants: correlation with severity of magnetic resonance imaging findings and neurological outcomes.
The incidence of late-onset circulatory dysfunction (LCD) of premature infants, which is characterized by sudden hypotension and oliguria, has recently increased in Japan. This condition suddenly occurs after several days of age without obvious causes in preterm infants with stable respiration and circulation. Intravenous steroids frequently improve the hypotension. ⋯ The incidence of severe cerebral palsy was 88% in PVL infants with LCD and 43% in PVL infants without LCD (p < 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of visual disorders was significantly higher in PVL infants with LCD (63%) than those without LCD (9%; p < 0.01). In conclusion, neurological outcomes are worse in preterm infants who develop PVL with LCD than those without LCD, which is well correlated to the severity judged by MRI findings.