Cerebral distress in full-term newborns and its prognostic value. A follow-up study of 90 infants.

The history of 90 full-term infants with neonatal cerebral distress was examined. Informations concerning pregnancy, delivery, neonatal status, clinical and laboratory evolution were compared with final outcome in each case. It was then possible to distinguish certain clinical features significantly associated with poor prognosis. After statistical analysis, different adverse criteria were selected, such as severe neonatal asphyxia, associated respiratory disorders, acute anemia, and especially neurological signs with regard to their chronology. This part of the study has resulted in a classification of the neurological signs and has permitted the description of both malignant and benign cerebral distress syndromes.