Sex differences in cerebral blood flow following chorioamnionitis in healthy term infants

• Published in: Journal of perinatology Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 197 - 202
• Main Authors: Koch, F R, Wagner, C L, Jenkins, D D, Caplan, M J, Perkel, J K, Rollins, L G, Katikaneni, L D, Mulvihill, D M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01-03-2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/443/1338/2729; 692/700/139/422; 692/700/1720; Antibiotics; Babies; Cardiac arrhythmia; Case-Control Studies; Cerebral circulation; Cerebral palsy; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Child Development; Chorioamnionitis; Cytokines; Demographic aspects; Doppler ultrasonography; Female; Gender differences; Hemodynamics; Humans; Infant, Newborn - growth & development; Infant, Newborn - physiology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Methods; Neonatal care; Nitric oxide; Original; original-article; Pathology; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Physiological aspects; Pilot Projects; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Sex Factors; Term Birth; Traumatic brain injury; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography, Doppler; United States > US; infection; transcranial Doppler; gender; inflammation; ultrasound; cerebral hemodynamics
• ISSN: 0743-8346; 1476-5543
• DOI: 10.1038/jp.2013.179

Objective:
Sex is an important determinant of neonatal outcomes and may have a significant role in the physiologic response to maternal chorioamnionitis. Our goal was to determine cerebral blood flow (CBF) parameters by sex and subsequent neurodevelopment in healthy term infants exposed to chorioamnionitis.
Study Design:
CBF by Doppler ultrasound in anterior and middle cerebral (ACA, MCA) and basilar arteries were analyzed for time-averaged maximum velocity (TAMX) and corrected resistive index in 52 term control and chorioamnionitis-exposed infants between 24 and 72 h after birth. Placental pathology confirmed histologic evidence of chorioamnionitis (HC). Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III were administered at 12 months.
Result:
HC male infants had significantly greater TAMX in the MCA and lower mean MCA and ACA resistance than HC females. Abnormal CBF correlated negatively with neurodevelopmental outcome.
Conclusion:
CBF is altered in term infants with histologically confirmed chorioamnionitis compared with control infants with sex-specific differences.