Assessment of risk factors for cystic periventricular leukomalacia

Aim Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is an important cause of cerebral palsy in premature infants, and cystic PVL is the most serious form of the disease. The risk factors for cystic PVL in singleton fetuses at a gestational age of The cystic PVL was associated with increased incidence of recurrent late deceleration (L/D) (43.4% vs. 15.9%,P= 0.004) and loss of variability (LOV) (10.0% vs. 0.0%,P= 0.03) in fetal heart rate monitoring and late-onset circulatory dysfunction (LCD) (33.3% vs. 11.1%,P= 0.02). Logistic regression analysis revealed that recurrent L/D (odds ratio [OR] = 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-10.15,P= 0.01) and LCD (OR = 3.41, 95% CI: 1.09-11.04,P= 0.03) were risk factors associated with cystic PVL. LOV was not included in the multivariate analysis as there were too few cases in both the cystic PVL and control groups. Conclusion Recurrent L/D, LOV and LCD are strongly associated with cystic PVL. In cases of fetal acidosis related to recurrent L/D or loss of variability, cystic PVL may occur.