TY - JOUR T1 - Infantile hydrocephalus epidemiology: an indicator of enhanced survival. JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition JO - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed SP - F123 LP - F128 DO - 10.1136/fn.70.2.F123 VL - 70 IS - 2 AU - E Fernell AU - G Hagberg AU - B Hagberg Y1 - 1994/03/01 UR - http://fn.bmj.com/content/70/2/F123.abstract N2 - The epidemiology of infantile hydrocephalus in the birth years 1973-90 was investigated in west Sweden. The study revealed a significant increase in prevalence from 1973-8 and 1979-82 considered due to the enhanced survival of very and extremely preterm infants. The increase did not continue from 1983-90. This could indicate an improved outcome in preterm survivors as the neonatal survival rate continued to increase. The striking predominance of a perinatal/neonatal aetiology in very preterm hydrocephalic infants could be confirmed: 89% born from 1983-90 had suffered a confirmed postpartum intraventricular haemorrhage. In infants born at term, prenatal origins, mainly maldevelopments, dominated. The outcome in very preterm surviving infants with infantile hydrocephalus was poor: 73% had cerebral palsy, 52% epilepsy, 22% severe visual disability, and 55% were mentally retarded. Despite the increased survival resulting in a majority of healthy infants, there is an accumulating cohort of hydrocephalic children. ER -