Cerebrovascular injury in premature infants: current understanding and challenges for future prevention.
Cerebrovascular insults are a leading cause of brain injury in premature infants, contributing to the high prevalence of motor, cognitive, and behavioral deficits. Understanding the complex pathways linking circulatory immaturity to brain injury in premature infants remains incomplete. These mechanisms are significantly different from those causing injury in the mature brain. The gaps in knowledge of normal and disturbed cerebral vasoregulation need to be addressed. This article reviews current understanding of cerebral perfusion, in the sick premature infant in particular, and discusses challenges that lie ahead.
du Plessis
Adré J
AJ
Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02115, USA. adre.duplessis@tch.harvard.edu
D001794:Blood Pressure; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D010100:Oxygen / Q000494:pharmacology; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000187:drug effects
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen