The central New Jersey neonatal brain haemorrhage study: design of the study and reliability of ultrasound diagnosis

Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 1992 Apr;6(2):273-84. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3016.1992.tb00767.x.

Abstract

Over a 34-month period, 1105 newborns weighing between 501 and 2000 g at birth were enrolled in a prospective study of the aetiology and consequences of neonatal brain haemorrhage. The three participating hospitals care for approximately 85% of births in the study weight range in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties, New Jersey. Cranial ultrasonographic imaging through the anterior fontanelle was carried out a mean age of 4.9 +/- 2.2 hours, 25.5 +/- 4.8 hours and 7.2 +/- 0.8 days to detect haemorrhage and other brain lesions. In 93.2% of study infants, scans were read by two independent expert readers (blind to the clinical status of the child) with submission of the scan to a third reader in cases of disagreement. Confirmation of both presence or absence and, when present, scan of first diagnosis of germinal matrix and/or intraventricular haemorrhage (GM/IVH) by two independent readers was achieved in 76.3% of study infants. The first two readers agreed as to presence or absence of GM/IVH in 82.4% of infants (Kappa = 0.56). Interobserver agreement was affected by the reported scan quality and by the number of scans available, but not by the hospital of origin, race or birthweight of the infant.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Birth Weight
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / epidemiology*
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / etiology
  • Cerebral Hemorrhage / mortality
  • Echoencephalography / instrumentation
  • Echoencephalography / methods
  • Gestational Age
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • New Jersey / epidemiology
  • Observer Variation
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Research Design