Part UT Health San Antonio
UT Health San AntonioUT Health San Antonio

UTSA Part of UT Health San Antonio

Contact Us | 210-450-9000

Menu
  • Find a Provider
  • Services
  • Cancer Types
  • Locations
  • Patient Care
  • Cancer Center
  • MyChart
  • X
  • Conditions
  • Conditions In-depth
  • Procedures
  • Wellness Centers
  • Natural & Alternative
  • Drug Info
  • Procedure Animations
  • Wellness Videos
Symptom CheckerQuick Nav
 
Health Library Home>Disease, Condition, & Injury Fact Sheets>Article

Intraventricular Hemorrhage of Infancy

(IVH; Subependymal Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage; Early-onset Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage; EGMH; Periventricular-Intraventricular Hemorrhage; PIVH)

Pronounced: In-tra-ven-tric-ooh-lar Hem-or-age of In-fan-see

by Cynthia M. Johnson, MA
Definition
Causes
Risk Factors
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention

Definition

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is bleeding into the spaces of a baby’s brain. It may cause harm to brain tissue and lead to long-term development problems.

Ventricles of the Brain
Ventricles of the Brain

Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

Causes

IVH is caused by the rupture of immature or fragile blood vessels in the brain. It is not known why this happens, but changes in blood pressure may play a role.

Risk Factors

IVH is most common in premature babies and those with a low birth weight.

Symptoms

IVH often happens in the first 48 hours after birth. Most babies do not have symptoms. Those who do may have:

  • Seizures
  • Low muscle tone
  • Muscle spasms
  • Problems breathing, such as pauses in breathing
  • Pedaling leg motions
  • Changes is eye movement or alignment
  • Pale or blue skin color

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is often made during a routine ultrasound in premature or low birth weight infants. Blood tests may be done to support the diagnosis.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to stop bleeding and lower the chances of problems that may happen from it.

Certain procedures or surgery may need to be done to ease pressure in the brain:

  • Ventriculoperitoneal shunt—a tube that runs under the skin and lets fluid drain from the ventricle (brain) to the abdomen
  • Lumbar puncture, fontanelle tap, or surgery—to drain fluid from the baby's brain

Prevention

Women at risk of having a premature baby may be given medicine to lower the risk of IVH in the baby.

RESOURCES:

American Academy of Neurology
http://www.aan.com

Healthy Children—American Academy of Pediatrics
http://healthychildren.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Caring for Kids—Canadian Pediatric Society
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca

REFERENCES:

Intraventricular hemorrhage. About Kids Health—The Hospital for Sick Children website. Available at: http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/ResourceCentres/PrematureBabies/AboutPrematureBabies/BrainandBehaviour/Pages/Intraventricular-Hemorrhage-IVH.aspx. Updated October 31, 2009. Accessed January 2, 2020.

Intraventricular hemorrhage of infancy. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/intraventricular-hemorrhage-of-infancy. Updated November 4, 2019. Accessed January 2, 2020.

Intraventricular hemorrhage. Stanford Children's Health website. Available at: http://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=intraventricular-hemorrhage-90-P02608. Accessed January 2, 2020.

Whitelaw A, Aquilina K. Management of posthaemorrhagic ventricular dilatation. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2012 May;97(3):F229-F233.

Last reviewed September 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Kari Kassir, MD  Last Updated: 6/12/2020

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at healthlibrarysupport@ebsco.com. Our Health Library Support team will respond to your email request within 2 business days.

Copyright ©  EBSCO Information Services
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy | Editorial Policy
Physicians and care providers of
UT Health San Antonio

8300 Floyd Curl Dr.

San Antonio, TX 78229

210-450-9000

Connect with us
  • Patient Rights and Responsibilities
  • Language Assistance
We make lives better ©

We're a part of UT Health San Antonio, provider of comprehensive health,  dental, &  cancer care,  advanced academics  and  life-saving research.

Web Privacy | Links from websites affiliated with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio's website (uthscsa.edu) to other websites do not constitute or imply university endorsement of those sites, their content, or products and services associated with those sites. The content on this website is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Health information on this site is not meant to be used to diagnose or treat conditions. Consult a health care provider if you are in need of treatment.