Neurological Sequelae in Newborn Babies after Perinatal Asphyxia

Abstract

(Scott, 1976;Thomson et al., 1977), making it more difficult to identify the precise role of asphyxia in causing brain damage. The present study was undertaken in a set of neurologically abnormal babies with a history of fetal distress in labour, to find out whether the types of neurological signs exhibited by such babies have any bearing on their outcome in later infancy or childhood. MethodsSubjects. Newborn babies, 37 to 44 weeks' gestational age, with a history of fetal distress, were diagnosed as severely neurologically abnormal in the early newborn period by colleagues working at the same hospital, because of the unequivocal presence of abnormal tone (hypertonia or hypotonia), irritability on handling (marked increase in spontaneous activity with alteration in respiration, or crying), a 'cerebral' (high-pitched) cry, or convulsions. These Birthweight. The relationship of birthweight to gestational age was studied using charts constructed by Milner and Richards (1974). 564

Positron emmission tomography in the asphyxiated term newborn: Parasagittal impairment of cerebral blood flow

“…The magnitude of the problem of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy relates not only to the essential gravity of the lesions, but also to the relatively high and unchanging prevalence of the encephalopathy (51. Indeed, unlike the decline in neurological sequelae attributable to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the premature infant with the advent of neonatal intensive care, there has been little or no decrease in such sequelae in the term infant [IS}.Further insight into the basic nature and pathogenesis of the major brain injury associated with neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is needed in order to devise interventions for decreasing the seriously high prevalence of the neurological sequelae.Obtaining such insight from neuropathological observations has been difficult because relatively few infants (approximately 10 to 15%) die in the neonatal period (6,10, 14,15, 291 and these, as expected, represent the most severely affected infants. Diffuse cerebral changes, confirmed by computed tomography (CT) [lb], are common in such infants and obscure critical elemental lesions.…”

Encefalopatia hipóxico-isquêmica em recém-nascidos a termo: aspectos da fase aguda e evolução

“…Quanto ao tipo de paralisia cerebral, houve predomínio do tipo espástico, como amplamente descrito 4,17,24 e não foram constatados casos com formas puras de discinesia, ataxia ou hipotonia. Quanto ao atraso no desenvolvimento, observamos que as 6 crianças apresentaram melhora progressiva no segundo semestre e normalização até 18 meses.…”

Etiologic and Preventive Aspects of Epilepsy in the Child–Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory and Clinic

“…T. LOMBROSO AND J . L. BURCHFIEL (Brown et al, 1974;Sarnat and Sarnat, 1976;DeSouza and Richards, 1978;Volpe, 1981). The importance of reliable classification of H-I encephalopathies is obvious: as guidance for interventions, for prognostic correlations, and in assessing present and proposed prophylactic strategies.…”