Morphologic abnormalities in human infant cerebral white matter related to gestational and postnatal age

Abstract

The risk of selected groupings of morphologic abnormalities of infant cerebral white matter as a function of total (i.e., gestational plus postnatal) age was studied in infants who had bacteria in cardiac blood aspirated at autopsy. The peak risk of hypertrophic astrocytes (HA) occurred at a younger age than the peak risk of HA and perivascular amphophilic globules (GL), which in turn occurred at a younger age than the combination of HA, GL, and necrotic foci (NF). These findings are considered compatible with the hypothesis that in infants with bacteremia, morphologic abnormalities in cerebral white matter are a function of total age. In infants (with or without bacteremia) morphologic abnormalities in cerebral white matter are a function of total age. © 1974 International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.