Cerebellar haemorrhage in the extremely preterm infant

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, risk factors and developmental outcomes of cerebellar haemorrhage in the extremely preterm infant. Methods: Over a 4-year period from January 2004, all patients with cerebellar haemorrhage born at 24-27 weeks gestation or with a birthweight < 1000 g were identified from database review. All patients had cranial ultrasound scans including views from the mastoid fontanelle. To verify the incidence, a review of all reports over the 4-year period and a review of all cranial imaging over a 2-year period were carried out. Results: From the data analysed on 339 neonates, five cases of cerebellar haemorrhagewere identified, four on ultrasound scan (1.2%) and one on magnetic resonance imaging (1.5% total). Two cases were associated with grade III peri-intraventricular haemorrhage. The cases had diverse maternal, antenatal and post-natal risk factors. The two with associated peri-intraventricular haemorrhage have developmental delay. The cases with isolated cerebellar haemorrhage had good neurodevelopmental outcomes. Conclusions: A low incidence of cerebellar haemorrhage identified from the mastoid fontanelle was demonstrated. The neurodevelopmental outcome was better than that described in previous reports.