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Brain hemorrhage

New 'brain washing' treatment saves premature infants

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 6, page 240 (2010)Cite this article

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Intraventricular hemorrhage in premature infants can lead to posthemorrhagic ventricular dilation (PVHD), a serious complication that puts infants at high risk of severe disabilities. A new technique to treat this condition 'washes' the brain, and has now been shown to significantly improve outcomes for preterm infants.

PVHD—in which blood clots obstruct the reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), leading to progressive cerebral enlargement—damages the immature brain via the combined effects of free radicals in the excess CSF, inflammation, and increased pressure, often leading to severe cognitive, sensory and motor disability, or even death.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Whitelaw, A. et al. Randomized trial of drainage, irrigation and fibrinolytic therapy for premature infants with posthemorrhagic ventricular dilation: developmental outcome at 2 years. Pediatrics 125, e852–e858 (2010)

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  1. Eleanor Beal
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Beal, E. New 'brain washing' treatment saves premature infants. Nat Rev Neurol 6, 240 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2010.43

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2010.43

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