The authors studied MR images of the brain in 152 patients, aged 1 to 19 years (mean 3.3), who had spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and were attending two hospitals in Japan in 1993 and 1994. The relation was studied between the patients' gestational age at birth and their MRI findings, including the severity of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) seen on MRI. In 119 of these patients, the CP was thought to be due to acquired, destructive brain injury. PVL was seen in 90 and posthemorrhagic porencephaly in 11. These preterm‐type brain injuries were observed often in patients who had been born preterm but were also seen in those born at term. Full‐term‐type border‐zone infarct, bilateral basal ganglia‐thalamic lesion, subcortical leukomalacia, and multicystic encephalomalacia were seen in 9,14,7, and 3 patients, respectively; these term‐type brain injuries were observed only in patients born at or near term. Of the patients with PVL, 90% had been born preterm. Severe PVL was common in the patients whose gestational ages at birth were between 25 and 32 weeks; all patients with PVL who had been born at term had only mild PVL. The authors concluded that MRI findings for patients with spastic CP are closely correlated with gestational age.
Hypocarbia was associated with PVL because the time-averaged CO(2) index was larger and the time-averaged PaCO(2) lower in infants with PVL than in those with normal development. However, the ventilator settings were similar among the infants with and without PVL.
Aims-To clarify the features of the background electroencephalographic (EEG) activities in clinically well preterm infants born at less than 27 weeks gestation and to outline their chronological changes with increasing postconceptional age (PCA). Methods-EEGs of clinically well premature infants born at less than 27 weeks gestation were recorded during the early postnatal period. The infants were separated into three groups according to their PCA at the time of EEG recording (21-22 weeks PCA, 23-24 weeks PCA, and 25-26 weeks PCA). The mean and maximum duration of interburst intervals (IBIs), the mean duration of bursts, and the percentage of continuous and discontinuous patterns in each PCA group were evaluated. Results-There were three infants at 21-22 weeks PCA, seven at 23-24 weeks PCA, and five at 25-26 weeks PCA. Eighteen EEG recordings were obtained. The mean and maximum IBI duration decreased with increasing PCA. The percentage of continuous patterns increased with increasing PCA. Conversely, the percentage of discontinuous patterns decreased with increasing PCA. Conclusions-In premature infants born at less than 27 weeks gestation, the characteristics of the background EEG activities were similar to those of older premature infants. These changes reflect the development of the central nervous system in this period.
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