PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Michael Joseph Barrett
AU  - Veronica Donoghue
AU  - Eoghan E Mooney
AU  - Marie Slevin
AU  - Thara Persaud
AU  - Eilish Twomey
AU  - Stephanie Ryan
AU  - Eoghan Laffan
AU  - Anne Twomey
TI  - Isolated acute non-cystic white matter injury in term infants presenting with neonatal encephalopathy
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2011-301505
DP  - 2013 Mar 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
PG  - F158--F160
VI  - 98
IP  - 2
4099  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/98/2/F158.short
4100  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/98/2/F158.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed2013 Mar 01; 98
AB  - We discuss possible aetiological factors, MRI evolution of injury and neuro-developmental outcomes of neonatal encephalopathy (NE). Thirty-six consecutive infants diagnosed with NE were included. In this cohort, four infants (11%) were identified with injury predominantly in the deep white matter on MRI who were significantly of younger gestation, lower birthweight with higher Apgars at one and five minutes compared to controls. Placental high grade villitis of unknown aetiology (VUA) was identified in all four of these infants. Our hypothesis states VUA may induce white matter injury by causing a local inflammatory response and/or oxidative stress during the perinatal period. We underline the importance of continued close and systematic evaluation of all cases of NE, including examination of the placenta, in order to come to a better understanding of the clinical presentation, the patterns of brain injury and the underlying pathophysiological processes.