Clinicians who care for newborns are often required to consider the possibility that a neuromuscular disorder might be present in a hypotonic infant. The ability to determine the normal expected tone of that infant is vital to assess what additional…
Seizures are a common and important clinical manifestation of neurologic dysfunction in the newborn. Building on a traditional foundation of knowledge regarding seizures in the newborn, the last decade has brought new insights into the clinical-electroencephalographic correlates, pathophysiology, and treatment…
Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) following severe perinatal asphyxia (also referred to in the literature as perinatal hypoxia–ischemia or asphyxia neonatorum ) has an incidence of 1-2 per 1,000 live births in the Western world and is far more common in developing…
Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage–Intraventricular Hemorrhage Incidence Germinal matrix hemorrhage–intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH-IVH) mainly occurs in premature infants, and the risk is higher with decreasing maturity. A 2003 study, however, also showed that IVH, sometimes associated with a thalamic hemorrhage, can be seen…
Brain injury in the premature infant is composed of multiple lesions, traditionally described as germinal matrix intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) with or without parenchymal involvement, posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH), and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). These mostly focal lesions mainly affecting white matter have,…
Normal development of the human central nervous system (CNS) encompasses several steps, including neuroectoderm induction, neurulation, cell proliferation and migration, programmed cell death, neurogenesis and elimination of excess neurons, synaptogenesis, stabilization and elimination of synapses, gliogenesis, and myelination ( Table…
Certain viruses seem to have a predilection for the fetus and may cause abortion, stillbirth, intrauterine infection, congenital malformations, acute disease during the neonatal period, or chronic infection with subtle manifestations that may be recognized only after a prolonged period.…
Fungal infections in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) remain an important health problem associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Invasive fungal infections encompass infections largely caused by Candida species and with a small portion caused by Aspergillus , Zygomycetes…
Neonatal Sepsis Newborns are extremely susceptible to infection, and sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in this population. Neonatal sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) that is secondary to infection. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome is…
Birth represents a functional watershed in the developing immune system. In utero, the fetus is exposed to a constant barrage of “foreign” antigens that are derived mainly from the mother and must downregulate its immune responses to survive. However, after…