PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - G Gaffney
AU  - M V Squier
AU  - A Johnson
AU  - V Flavell
AU  - S Sellers
TI  - Clinical associations of prenatal ischaemic white matter injury.
AID  - 10.1136/fn.70.2.F101
DP  - 1994 Mar 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
PG  - F101--F106
VI  - 70
IP  - 2
4099  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/70/2/F101.short
4100  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/70/2/F101.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed1994 Mar 01; 70
AB  - Neuropathological examinations were carried out at necropsy on 274 cases of intrauterine death or neonatal death at or before three days after birth. Fifty six (20.4%) subjects had evidence of prenatal ischaemic brain damage. On review of the maternal case notes to ascertain antenatal clinical associations there was an increased incidence of intrauterine growth retardation, either based on birth weight for gestational age (odds ratio (OR) 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 3.7) or diagnosed antenatally (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.3 to 5.6). Oligohydramnios was also more common (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.2 to 7.0). The association of intrauterine growth retardation and white matter damage remained after excluding fetuses with a major congenital anomaly (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.1 to 5.1). The findings suggest that chronic intrauterine hypoxia may be associated with damage to cerebral white matter among fetuses and infants who die. The relation between ischaemic white matter damage and cerebral palsy among survivors remains speculative.