The influence of route of delivery and hyaline membranes on the risk of neonatal intracranial hemorrhages.

The relationship of route of delivery and hyaline membranes to eight sites of intracranial hemorrhage was evaluated in 513 autopsied newborn infants. Those delivered by cesarian section appeared to be at less risk for most hemorrhages compared with newborns delivered vaginally. However, the reductions in risk were small and did not achieve nominal levels of statistical significance. Thus, "birth trauma" probably contributes little to the risk of most neonatal intracranial hemorrhages. Newborns who developed hyaline membranes appeared to be at greater risk for most hemorrhages than those who did not, particularly if the infant had been delivered by cesarian section. This was especially marked for subarachnoid and germinal matrix hemorrhage.