title: Haemodynamic changes in the brain after vaginal delivery and caesarean section in healthy term infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the mode of delivery may affect neonatal cerebral haemodynamics during the first hour of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthy infants with gestational age > or =37 weeks and birthweight appropriate for gestational age, born after uncomplicated pregnancy by vaginal delivery or elective caesarean section, two to five hours after the delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Near infra-red spectroscopy was used to measure changes of oxygenated haemoglobin, deoxygenated haemoglobin, oxidized-reduced cytochrome aa3, and mean cerebral oxygen saturation (mixed cerebral oxygen saturation = oxygenated haemoglobin/total haemoglobin). Changes in cerebral blood volume were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Near infra-red spectroscopy data did not show significant differences between infants born by vaginal delivery or by caesarean section. There was a significant decrease of oxygenated haemoglobin and change of cerebral blood volume values at 120 and 180 minutes in both the groups, while deoxygenated haemoglobin and oxidized-reduced cytochrome aa3 were unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A decrease of cerebral blood volume occurs after birth and this occurs both in infants born by vaginal delivery and by caesarean section.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Careggi University Hospital of Florence, University of Florence School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pezzati
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Rubaltelli
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D010100:Oxygen