Effect of intraventricular hemorrhage on the one-year mental and neurologic handicaps of the very low birth weight infant.

The effect of intraventricular hemorrhage on developmental handicaps was studied in 303 surviving very low birth weight (less than 1500 g) infants at corrected one year of age. The outcomes were established by Bayley mental and psychomotor developmental scales as well as by neurologic handicaps. Infants with no intraventricular hemorrhage had a statistically significant incidence of higher mean mental scores (96.5 +/- 18.1 versus 90.1 +/- 18.3) and psychomotor scores (95.5 +/- 17.6 versus 86.7 +/- 16.8), and a lesser proportion of serious neurologic handicaps (7 versus 11.5%), than those with minor hemorrhages (grade I or II), although no difference was noted between infants who had experienced grade I versus grade II hemorrhages. Similarly, the outcomes of those infants with severe intraventricular hemorrhage were significantly worse than those with minor hemorrhages, with the worst outcomes in those with grade IV. Evaluation of 94 infants at three years of age indicates that the mental and neurologic assessments performed at one year of age were accurate predictors of later status.