title: Serious periventricular white matter injury has a significant effect on the voiding pattern of preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of serious periventricular white matter injury (PWMI) on the voiding patterns of preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Free voiding was continuously observed for eight hours in 19 preterm infants with serious PWMI and 16 infants without PWMI. The infants had a gestational age of 32-35 weeks and a postnatal age of 9-15 days. Voiding frequency, voided volume, postvoid residual volume, empty voiding, awake voiding and interrupted voiding were recorded and compared between the two groups of infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The voiding frequency ((5.1 ± 1.0) vs. (7.0 ± 1.1)), awake voiding percentage ((23 ± 11)% vs. (42 ± 7)%) and empty voiding percentage (lower quartile = 16% vs. 28%, median = 20% vs. 33%, upper quartile = 28% vs. 40%) were significantly lower, while the voided volume ((19.9 ± 6.6) mL vs.(15.9 ± 5.3) mL)and postvoid residual volume (lower quartile = 1 mL. vs. 0 mL., median = 3 mL. vs. 2 mL., upper quartile = 3 mL. vs. 2 mL.) were significantly higher in the injured preterm infants, compared with the healthy infants (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serious PWMI has a significant effect on the voiding pattern of preterm infants, and the senior nerve centre plays a role in the voiding reflex of preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China.
authors.forename: Ya Lun
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan Sha
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D014554:Urination
keywords: Periventricular white matter injury; Preterm infants; Senior nerve centre; Voiding