title: Risk factors of germinal matrix intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether some clinical parameters can be used to predict the hemorrhage and whether the relationship between these clinical variables and the grades of hemorrhage is linear.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 230 premature infants, born at a gestational age less than 34 weeks were retrospectively reviewed. Germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GM-IVH), the grade of the hemorrhage, and clinical data were assessed with a checklist. Variables were analyzed by using Mann Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests and then multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Resuscitation, gestational age, hypotension, multiple birth, and birth weight were found to be independent risk factors. We determined non-linear relationship between the grades of hemorrhage and the clinical parameters. But when we classified hemorrhages as grade 1, grade 2-3 and grade 4, the relationships were found linear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Premature infants who had resuscitation, low gestational age, hypotension, multiple birth, and low birth weight are more likely to have GM-IVH. The relationship between the clinical variables and the grades of GM-IVH does not seem to be linear.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Clinic.
authors.forename: Yeliz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pekcevik
authors.affiliation: Radiology Clinic.
authors.forename: Aynur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasinli
authors.affiliation: Neonatalogy Clinic, Izmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital , Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Esra Arun
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.affiliation: Radiology Clinic.
authors.forename: Nuri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Erdogan
keywords: Germinal Matrix; Hemorrhage; Premature Infants; Risk Factors; Ultrasonography