Abiramalatha T, Bandyopadhyay T, Ramaswamy VV, Shaik NB, Thanigainathan S, Pullattayil AK, Amboiram P. Risk Factors for Periventricular Leukomalacia in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and GRADE-Based Assessment of Certainty of Evidence.
Pediatr Neurol 2021;
124:51-71. [PMID:
34537463 DOI:
10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2021.08.003]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
We analyzed the certainty of evidence (CoE) for risk factors of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in preterm neonates, a common morbidity of prematurity.
METHODS
Medline, CENTRAL, Embase, and CINAHL were searched. Cohort and case-control studies and randomised randomized controlled trials were included. Data extraction was performed in duplicate. A random random-effects meta-analysis was utilizedused. CoE was evaluated as per Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines.
RESULTS
One hundred eighty-six studies evaluating 95 risk factors for PVL were included. Of the 2,509,507 neonates assessed, 16,569 were diagnosed with PVL. Intraventricular hemorrhage [adjusted odds ratio: 3.22 (2.52-4.12)] had moderate CoE for its association with PVL. Other factors such as hypocarbia, chorioamnionitis, PPROM >48 hour, multifetal pregnancy reduction, antenatal indomethacin, lack of antenatal steroids, perinatal asphyxia, ventilation, shock/hypotension, patent ductus arteriosus requiring surgical ligation, late-onset circulatory collapse, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and neonatal surgery showed significant association with PVL after adjustment for confounders (CoE: very low to low). Amongst the risk factors associated with mother placental fetal (MPF) triad, there was paucity of literature related to genetic predisposition and defective placentation. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the strength of association between invasive ventilation and PVL decreased over time (P < 0.01), suggesting progress in ventilation strategies. Limited studies had evaluated diffuse PVL.
CONCLUSION
Despite decades of research, our findings indicate that the CoE is low to very low for most of the commonly attributed risk factors of PVL. Future studies should evaluate genetic predisposition and defective placentation in the MPF triad contributing to PVL. Studies evaluating exclusively diffuse PVL are warranted.
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