title: [Effect of chorioamnionitis on brain injury in preterm infants].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association between chorioamnionitis and brain injury in preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 88 preterm infants (28-34 weeks), who were born between June 2008 and June 2011, were divided into a case group (n=41) and a control group (n=47) according to whether or not they had chorioamnionitis. All the infants were examined by brain ultrasonography periodically after birth and underwent brain diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) between 3 and 7 days after birth. The two groups were compared in terms of the incidence of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and periventricular and intraventricular hemorrhage (PVH-IVH) by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the corrected gestational age of 40 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was statistical significance in the incidence of PVL between the case and the control groups (32% vs 6%; P<0.05), but no significant difference in the incidence of PVH-IVH between the two groups (27% vs 23%; P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chorioamnionitis is associated with brain injury in preterm infants, increasing the incidence of PVL but having little influence over the incidence of PVH-IVH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Rong-Na
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Shao-Bo
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hong-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Zhong-Ling
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002821:Chorioamnionitis; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy