Periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants in China

Introduction: To explore the incidence rate and analyze the high-risk factors of periventricular- intraventricular hemorrhage (PIVH) in premature infants in China. Materials and Methods: 1122 premature infants less than 37 weeks gestation were enrolled into this study. All the infants received intracranial ultrasound examinations within one week after birth, and the perinatal informations were recorded to analyze the high-risk factors of PIVH. Results: The results showed that the incidence rate of PIVH was 55.2% in China, thereinto the low degree of PIVH account for 82.2% while severe degree of PIVH was only 17.8%. High-risk factors related to PIVH were low gestational age, low birth weight, Low Apgar score, ventilator treatment, and so on. Antenatal corticosteroid or the use of vitamin K, can reduce the incidence of PIVH. Postnatal administration of Phenobarbital can decrease the frequency of severe PIVH significantly. Conclusions: The incidence of neonatal PIVH was much higher in China than those in the studies in developed countries. There were many high-risk factors related to PIVH in premature infants and the screening cutoff point of 2000g is more adequate in China.