Neonatal stroke in premature neonates

Abstract

There are many neuro-imaging studies on the presence of brain lesions in the preterm infant, using cranial ultrasound (cUS) and/or term equivalent age MRI (TEA-MRI). These studies however tend to focus on germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH-IVH) and white matter injury. Data about perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS) or cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) in the preterm infant are very limited. In fact, several large cohort studies on neuro-imaging in preterm infants do not even mention neonatal stroke.1-4 Most studies about PAIS exclude preterm infants.5 The aim of this review was to provide an update on neonatal stroke in the preterm infant, with a focus on neuro-imaging findings.