Intraventricular administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for intraventricular hemorrhage in the newborn

The role of blood product removal in intraventricular hemorrhage of prematurity: a meta-analysis of the clinical evidence

INTRODUCTION

Premature neonates have a high risk of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) at birth, the blood products of which activate inflammatory cascades that can cause hydrocephalus and long-term neurological morbidities and sequelae. However, there is no consensus for one treatment strategy. While the mainstay of treatment involves CSF diversion to reduce intracranial pressure, a number of interventions focus on blood product removal at various stages including extraventricular drains (EVD), intra-ventricular thrombolytics, drainage-irrigation-fibrinolytic therapy (DRIFT), and neuroendoscopic lavage (NEL).

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the risks and benefits commonly associated with active blood product removal treatment strategies. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases through Dec 2020 for articles reporting on outcomes of EVDs, thrombolytics, DRIFT, and NEL. Outcomes of interest were rate of conversion to ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS), infection, mortality, secondary hemorrhage, and cognitive disability.

RESULTS

Of the 10,398 articles identified in the search, 23 full-text articles representing 22 cohorts and 530 patients were included for meta-analysis. These articles included retrospective, prospective, and randomized controlled studies on the use of EVDs (n = 7), thrombolytics (n = 8), DRIFT therapy (n = 3), and NEL (n = 5). Pooled rates of reported outcomes for EVD, thrombolytics, DRIFT, and NEL for ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement were 51.1%, 43.3%, 34.3%, and 54.8%; for infection, 15.4%, 12.5%, 4.7%, and 11.0%; for mortality, 20.0%, 11.6%, 6.0%, and 4.9%; for secondary hemorrhage, 5.8%, 7.8%, 20.0%, and 6.9%; for cognitive impairment, 52.6%, 50.0%, 53.7%, and 50.9%. Meta-regression using type of treatment as a categorical covariate showed no effect of treatment modality on rate of VPS conversion or cognitive disability.

CONCLUSION

There was a significant effect of treatment modality on secondary hemorrhage and mortality; however, mortality was no longer significant after adjusting for year of publication. Re-hemorrhage rate was significantly higher for DRIFT (p < 0.001) but did not differ among the other modalities. NEL also had lower mortality relative to EVD (p < 0.001) and thrombolytics (p = 0.013), which was no longer significant after adjusting for year of publication. Thus, NEL appears to be safer than DRIFT in terms of risk of hemorrhage, and not different than other blood-product removal strategies in terms of mortality. Outcomes-in terms of shunting and cognitive impairment-did not differ. Later year of publication was predictive of lower rates of mortality, but not the other outcome variables. Further prospective and randomized studies will be necessary to directly compare NEL with other temporizing procedures.

Post-Hemorrhagic Hydrocephalus and Outcomes Amongst Neonates With Intraventricular Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis

Introduction Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm neonates. IVH leads to complications such as posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH), which commonly occurs in neonates with a more severe degree of IVH. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of PHH in neonates with IVH. Methods We performed a systematic review of cases reported from January 1978 to December 2020 through the PubMed database, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the keywords 'intraventricular hemorrhage,' 'cerebral intraventricular hemorrhage,' and 'newborn.' A total of 79 articles were considered for analysis, and data on neonatal and maternal characteristics and outcomes were collected. The analysis was performed by using the χ2 test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and multivariate logistic regression model. Results We analyzed a total of 101 IVH cases, 54.5% were male and 62.4% preterm. Thirteen point nine percent (13.9%) presented with grade I, 35.6% grade II, and grade III respectively, and 8% grade IV IVH. Among the 59 (58.4%) neonates with PHH, 33.6% had resolved PHH and 24.8% had unresolved. In adjusted regression analysis, we found that neonates with resolved PHH have lower odds of having neurodevelopmental delay (OR:0.15, 95%CI:0.03-0.74; p=0.02) and death (OR:0.9;95%CI:0.01-0.99; p=0.049) as compared to unresolved PHH. Conclusion Our study showed that neonates with resolved PHH have a statistically significant lower risk of neurodevelopmental delay (NDD) and mortality. Future studies should be planned to evaluate the role of treatment and its effect on outcomes in IVH neonates with PHH as a complication.