Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) of the Newborn
DESCRIPTION
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a type of bleeding from
fragile blood vessels in the brain. These blood vessels are
especially fragile in premature infants. Babies who are
born more than 8 weeks early (before 32 weeks of pregnancy,
or 32 weeks of gestation) are most likely to have this
bleeding.
A baby with IVH may:
- have no symptoms from the bleeding
- become sick from the bleeding, with symptoms of paleness,
breathing problems, weak heart rate, and low blood
pressure
- have seizures if the bleeding is severe
- develop hydrocephalus (increased fluid in the brain)
because the blood plugs up the brain's fluid pathways
(the ventricles).
Most intraventricular hemorrhages occur in the first week of
life. They seldom occur after the first week.
Your physician will order an ultrasound scan of the baby's
brain if the baby is more than 6 weeks premature (less than
34 weeks post-conceptional age) or if he or she thinks the
baby might have IVH. The scan is done at the bedside and
does not bother the baby. Ultrasounds are done every few
days for the first week and then as needed.
CAUSE
Some very fragile blood vessels surround the ventricles of
the brain. The ventricles are cavities in the brain through
which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows. The blood vessels
are very underdeveloped in the very young infant. They
start getting stronger after 32 weeks of gestation. These
blood vessels are very sensitive to changes in blood flow.
If the blood flow changes, the blood vessels break down and
start bleeding. If the bleeding is slight, the blood
remains around the blood vessels. If the bleeding gets
worse, the blood breaks into the ventricles. In the worst
cases of bleeding, the blood may leak into the brain tissue.
The hemorrhages are graded from 1 to 4 according to the
severity of the bleeding. Small amounts of bleeding--grades
1 to 2--do not usually cause any long-term damage. Larger
amounts of bleeding--grades 3 to 4--cause long-term
problems. Grades 3 and 4 cause a blockage of the
circulation system for cerebrospinal fluid. This blockage
is called hydrocephalus.
The brain makes cerebrospinal fluid (also called spinal
fluid), which circulates through the ventricular system in
the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord.
Hydrocephalus results from the blockage of the spinal fluid
circulation pathways by blood clots. If the circulation of
fluid is blocked, the fluid begins to build up and the
ventricles begin to swell. If the ventricles swell to a
large size, the fluid can press on the brain and cause
damage. After IVH occurs, the hospital staff will watch
closely for the development of hydrocephalus. If it occurs,
there are treatments to keep the pressure under control.
TREATMENT
Unfortunately, there are no proven ways to stop IVH from
happening. The best approach is to try to keep the brain
from bleeding by keeping the baby as stable as possible.
When IVH does occur, it is treated by looking for and
treating the complications of the bleeding.
- Early care
- Head ultrasounds
Ultrasound scans of the baby's head are done every
few days during the first week to find out whether
bleeding has occurred or if it has gotten worse
(progressed). Bleeding occurs during the first week
after birth. If there is no bleeding the first week,
it is unlikely to happen later. Every baby born more
than 6 weeks early (before 34 weeks of gestation) is
checked for IVH.
- Supportive care
The best treatment is to keep the baby as stable as
possible during the first week of life. Your
physician will treat any lung conditions and
infections and, if necessary, help the baby breathe.
If necessary, the baby will be given a blood
transfusion to keep the blood pressure and blood
count stable. The baby will be treated for any
seizures that occur.
- Follow-up of IVH
If IVH occurs, head ultrasound scans will be used to
look for clearing of the blood clot. Most of the time,
the body gets rid of small amounts of the blood over
several weeks. Hydrocephalus can be detected by
measuring the size of the ventricles. Many times the
ventricles get slightly bigger but in a few weeks come
back to a normal size without any treatment.
- Hydrocephalus
It is more common for hydrocephalus to develop in the
more severe cases of IVH (grades 3 to 4). Your
physician can tell if hydrocephalus develops by looking
at the size of the ventricles on the ultrasounds.
A baby who has hydrocephalus may not have any symptoms
at first. Sometimes as the hydrocephalus progresses,
the baby becomes sleepy, has more apnea (breathing
pauses), or throws up feedings. Sometimes the only sign
of hydrocephalus is that the head grows too quickly.
Treatment for hydrocephalus is begun if the ventricles
grow to a size that is thought to be harmful or if the
baby has symptoms.
- Spinal taps
A spinal tap is used to remove spinal fluid from the
spinal canal to relieve pressure. This means a
needle is put in the baby's back to let fluid drip
out. Spinal taps can be performed repeatedly. This
procedure may allow time for the blood clots to clear
by themselves and for the fluid pathways to open up.
However, spinal taps may not work if the blockage
prevents fluid from circulating from the ventricles
to the spinal canal in the back.
- Ventricular reservoirs
When hydrocephalus cannot be treated by spinal taps,
tubing can be surgically placed into the ventricles.
This tubing in the ventricles is called a ventricular
reservoir. It allows fluid to be withdrawn from the
ventricles to control the pressure. If the
hydrocephalus clears up, then the reservoir can be
removed. If the hydrocephalus persists, permanent
tubing, called a shunt, can be placed in the
ventricles.
- Ventricular peritoneal shunts
If the hydrocephalus does not clear up on its own, a
permanent shunt is placed in the ventricle. The
shunt takes the fluid from the ventricle and drains
it into the abdominal cavity where spinal fluid is
absorbed by the body. One end of the tubing is
inserted into a ventricle in the brain. The tubing
is tunneled under the skin and the other end is
placed into the abdominal cavity.
Placement of the ventricular peritoneal shunt is
performed by a neurosurgeon (brain surgeon) in the
operating room. The baby is given anesthesia for the
surgery.
The shunt must be replaced as the child grows or if
the shunt is blocked or infected. The shunt tubing
is not noticeable after the baby grows bigger and has
more hair.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME
- Predicting outcome
There is no test or examination that can accurately
predict what a baby will be like as a child or adult.
Only time and growth will show whether the brain has
been permanently hurt.
Sometimes other parts of the baby's brain may be able to
take over the function of any damaged areas. This means
that babies often do much better than expected. They do
much better than an adult with a similar brain injury.
Love, care, and encouragement that the child receives
from his family also have a very important effect on his
outcome.
- Follow-up
Children who have had IVH need to be observed and
evaluated for several years to determine if the bleeding
has hurt the brain. Their developmental progress should
be tested regularly. If problems develop, special
therapy and education programs can be begun. These
programs will help the child do her very best.
- Relating grade of hemorrhage to outcome
In general, babies who have had small amounts of
bleeding (grades 1 and 2) do not have any more problems
than other premature babies who did not have IVH.
Babies who have had more severe bleeding are more likely
to have developmental problems as they grow. Many
children who have had a grade-4 hemorrhage may have
problems controlling movement on the side of their body
opposite that of the injured part of the brain. If the
other side of the brain is normal, these children can
often function well enough to attend regular school.
Only time will tell to what extent a child's brain is
injured and what long-term problems he will have.
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