[Cerebral Doppler measurements in risk newborn infants do not have a prognostic value].
OBJECTIVE
The prognostic value of cerebral doppler for the neonatal and the developmental prognosis was studied.


METHODS
A prospective longitudinal study on 175 newborns at risk was performed. The blood flow velocities were recorded transcranially in the middle cerebral, posterior cerebral and internal carotid artery on day 1, 3-5 and 8-10 of life. Neonatal mortality and cerebral sonography gave the criteria for neonatal prognosis. Developmental prognosis was determined at a corrected age of 9 months by neurological examination and Griffth's test.


RESULTS
In 60 neonates abnormal flow velocities were obtained at least at one recording. Ultrasound revealed cerebral hemorrhage in 20, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in 5 children. 14 infants died during the neonatal period, 5 in the following months. Premature babies with birth weights below 1501 g and abnormal flow velocities presented more cerebral hemorrhages and deaths than those with normal flow velocities. At the age of 9 months a slight handicap was observed in 10, a severe handicap in 6 of the surviving 156 infants. The majority of infants with abnormal neonatal doppler-recording had a normal neurodevelopmental status.


CONCLUSIONS
Cerebral doppler seems to be of little value to determine the prognosis of newborns at risk.
Bode
H
H
Universitäts-Kinderspital, Basel.
Das-Kundu
S
S
D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004453:Echoencephalography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009460:Neurologic Examination
Zerebrale Doppler-Messungen bei Risikoneugeborenen haben keinen prognostischen Aussagewert.