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British Association of Perinatal Medicine
G112 Chorioamnionitis in preterm infants is not associated with brain size and maturation at term equivalent age
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  1. CL Granger1,
  2. A Spittle2,
  3. LW Doyle3,4,
  4. J Pyman4,
  5. JM Walsh3,5,
  6. JLY Cheong3,5
  1. 1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, UK
  2. 2Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
  3. 3Newborn Research Department, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
  4. 4Anatomical Pathology, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
  5. 5Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Introduction Chorioamnionitis is a risk factor for adverse neurodevelopment in preterm infants but the effect on brain size or maturation is unclear. This study aimed to determine the association between perinatal characteristics and histological chorioamnionitis in a cohort of preterm infants. We also aimed to establish the association between chorioamnionitis and brain size and maturation.

Methods A large prospective cohort of preterm infants was identified and data from placental histology reports were collected and chorioamnionitis, characterised into either no inflammatory response, maternal response only or both fetal and maternal response. All infants had brain MRI scans at term equivalent age. T1 and T2 weighted images were systematically scored for size of cerebral structures, degree of myelination, gyral maturation, signal abnormalities and presence of cysts. Differences between groups were compared using linear regression for continuous variables and logistic regression for categorical variables.

Results Of the 237 infants included in this study, 58 (24.5%) had histological evidence of chorioamnionitis.

Table 1 summarises the demographic data. Infants with evidence of chorioamnionitis on placental histology had higher rates of preterm delivery (p < 0.0001), low birth weight (p = 0.04) and prolonged rupture of membranes (p < 0.0001). Those with chorioamnionitis had higher rates of intraventricular haemorrhage (p < 0.0001).

Abstract G112 Table 1
Abstract G112 Table 1

Participant characteristics

Chorioamnionitis, however, was not associated with brain injury or delayed maturation on qualitative MRI assessment. The MRI scoring data is shown in Table 2.

Abstract G112 Table 2
Abstract G112 Table 2

Association between chorioamnionitis and MRI measures

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2015-308599.111

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