Abstract

BRAVO, C. et al. Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus in the preterm infant: current evidence in diagnosis and treatment. Neurocirugía [online]. 2011, vol.22, n.5, pp.381-400. ISSN 1130-1473.

Intraventricular haemorrhage and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus are the most important neurological complications in preterm infants during the neonatal period⁹¹. The prevalence of germinal matrix-intraventricular haemorrhage widely varies depending on the population of study^{19,36,47,56,61,71,93}, but it is in any case increasing due both to the higher incidence of multiple and preterm deliveries as well as the longer survival of preterm infants favoured by recent advances in perinatal care⁸⁵. It is therefore of the utmost convenience to be familiar with the most important clinical evidence regarding this entity. However, the available evidence is often incomplete and piecemeal. The objective of the present review is to summarise the main diagnostic and therapeutic points regarding preterm-related posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus. The participants of the working-group in Pediatric Neurosurgery of the Spanish Society of Neurosurgery were asked to write these recommendations down. This hopefully represents the first step towards the definition of a clinical guide in the treatment of complications related to periventricular hemorrhage of the preterm infants.

Keywords : Hydrocephalus; Intraventricular hemorrhage; Preterm infants; Treatment.

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