Intra-Ventricular Hemorrhage: Frequency and Outcomes at the time of discharge

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is an important cause of death and lifelong neurological complications in premature and very low birth weight infants. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of IVH and its severity in infants admitted to a referral center for high-risk pregnancies and their short-term outcomes.

This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in an academic hospital for high-risk pregnancies over the period between Jan 2011 and Mar 2018. All premature (<34wk) and very low birth weight (<1500gr) infants diagnosed with IVH through brain ultrasound were included in the study. All infants’ information such as gestational age, birth weight, grade of IVH (I-IV) and outcome at the time of discharge was recorded and then analyzed.

Out of 2563 eligible infants admitted to the intensive care unit, 138 neonates (5.38%) were diagnosed with IVH. The mean gestational age and the birth weights were 29.97± 2.89 weeks and 1084± 327.71 grams, respectively. Male to female ratio was 2.53 to 1. The frequencies of IVH grades included: 106 (76.81%) with grade I, 23 (16.67%) with grade II, 7 (5.07%) with grade III, and 2 (1.45%) with grade IV. Four cases (2.9%) underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt and three of them died.

In this study, the frequency of IVH was higher compared to that of developed countries; however, severe IVH (grades three and four) had a relatively low frequency.