title: Late-onset cystic periventricular leukomalacia in premature infants: a threat until term.
abstract: The purposes of this study are (1) to describe a "late-onset" form of cystic periventricular leukomalacia eventually appearing in premature infants whose neurological assessments were normal in the first month of life; (2) to retrospectively evaluate its incidence among a large population of premature infants; (3) to suggest that a few unexpected complications of prematurity may trigger the development of white matter damage, even several weeks after birth. Retrospective study in a population of 1452 surviving infants after 5 days born before 33 weeks. We identified 10 cases of late-onset cystic periventricular leukomalacia appearing beyond the first 5 weeks of life. In 8 cases, an intercurrent event associated with a systemic inflammatory response preceded the appearance of cysts: necrotizing enterocolitis (n = 5), septicemia (n = 2 cases), strangulated inguinal hernia in one infant. Neurological surveillance should be repeated until discharge in very preterm infants, especially after the occurrence of an intercurrent complication coming along with a systemic inflammatory response.
authors.affiliation: Service de Pédiatrie et Réanimation Néonatale, Hĵpital Antoine Béclère, Université Paris-Sud, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thébaud
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delavaucoupet
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zupan
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blanc
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: d'Allest
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rambaud
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dehan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lacaze-Masmonteil
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging