Abstract

Neonatal brain injury is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns, accounting for a considerable worldwide health care burden. The causes of neonatal brain injury are myriad and have evolved over the past several decades; historically, birth trauma and infections were the most common causes of neonatal brain injury. Advances in newborn medicine and marked improvements in the survival of very preterm and high-risk infants, however, have resulted in a host of neurological injuries associated with prematurity, multiparity, and extremely low birth weight. An optimistic view is that the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) will continue to decline in parallel with advances in newborn medicine. At present, however, children who experience IVH and PHH suffer significant morbidity with a lifetime of potential complications, and the neurosurgical management of these conditions remains a formidable challenge. Many infants who suffer neonatal brain injuries now survive through adulthood, frequently with residual cognitive or functional disability and/or conditions requiring long-term neurosurgical care (e.g., hydrocephalus, intractable seizures). This chapter considers neonatal brain injuries in three broad etiologic categories: hypoxic-ischemic, hemorrhagic, and traumatic, each of which is important to neurosurgeons either in the acute treatment of the injuries themselves or in the long-term management of survivors of these injuries.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationYoumans and Winn Neurological Surgery
Subtitle of host publicationVolumes 1-4, 8th Edition
PublisherElsevier
Pages1907-1911.e2
ISBN (Electronic)9780323661928
ISBN (Print)9780323674997
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2023

Keywords

  • germinal matrix hemorrhage
  • hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
  • intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)
  • post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus
  • traumatic intracranial hemorrhage

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