Intraventricular Hemorrhage in the Newborn. A Case Report

Abstract

Intraventricular hemorrhage is a serious disease that usually occurs in the first hours or days of life, especially in premature infants weighing less than 1500 g. We present the case of full-term newborn with normal birth weight who was non-institutionally delivered. At 17 days old, he was referred to the Paquito González Cueto Hospital because of fever and seizures. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Increased head circumference, tense anterior fontanelle and global hypertonia were found. A transfontanelle ultrasound revealed a subependymal/intraventricular hemorrhage. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used to confirm the diagnosis. Symptoms and echoencephalographic results improved as occurs in 65% of cases. We decided to present this case since the condition developed in a full-term newborn with normal weight, which is unusual, and the fact that he was born outside a hospital. Although the relationship between this fact and the disease could not be established, it helps general practitioners to develop the ability to consider such serious diseases in cases that do not necessarily meet what is classically described.

Keywords

• recién nacido
• hemorragia cerebral
• convulsiones febriles
• cuidados intensivos pediátricos
• tomografía computarizada por rayos x
• diagnóstico por imágenes