Early gastrointestinal function and nutritional status in preterm infants with cystic periventricular leukomalacia.
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively investigate the early gastrointestinal function and the nutritional status of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with cystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).


METHODS
Sixty-five VLBW infants who were admitted to Kakogawa Municipal Hospital were divided into 2 groups: 5 infants were in the PVL group, and the remaining 60 infants were in the normal group. The gastrointestinal function of the infants in the early neonatal period was compared between the 2 groups using an analysis of gastric aspirates and abdominal radiographs, and pulsed-Doppler ultrasonographic measurement of the flow velocity in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA).


RESULTS
In the first week, there were more days in which abdominal gastric residual fluids occurred in the PVL group than in the normal group. The occurrence of abnormal findings in the abdominal radiograph within the first 7 days was significantly higher in the PVL group than in the normal group. Longitudinal ultrasonographic comparisons of the SMA flow velocity showed that the mean values in peak systolic velocity and in time-averaged velocity were both significantly higher in the PVL group than in the normal group before 7 days of life. Both the total volume of milk ingested and the total energy intake in the PVL group were significantly lower than in the normal group within the first 2 weeks of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the low number of infants with PVL, we may suggest that the gastrointestinal function of the preterm infants with cystic PVL may deteriorate significantly compared to normal infants in the early neonatal period of life, and consequently, the early nutritional intakes in the PVL infants are inferior to those in the normal infants.
Murase
Masanori
M
Department of Pediatrics, Kakogawa Municipal Hospital, Kakogawa, Hyougo, Japan.
Ishida
Akihito
A
Momota
Tetsuya
T
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003560:Cysts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D004064:Digestive System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004326:Drinking; D002149:Energy Intake; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017538:Mesenteric Artery, Superior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008895:Milk, Human; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography