PVL is most commonly seen in preterm infants.

PVL is most commonly seen in preterm infants.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not applicable
• D. Not seen

Answer: (A)

Periventricular leukomalacia is a pattern of white matter injury around the brain’s ventricles that occurs mainly in the premature infant. The developing white matter near the ventricles contains many immature oligodendrocyte precursor cells, which are highly vulnerable to hypoxia-ischemia and inflammatory injury. In preterm babies, immature cerebral blood flow regulation and frequent fluctuations in oxygen delivery make this periventricular region especially susceptible, so necrosis and subsequent cystic changes tend to concentrate there. That vulnerability explains why PVL is most commonly seen in preterm infants and is a major contributor to later motor impairments, such as spastic cerebral palsy. In term infants, PVL is much less common and other injury patterns from severe hypoxic-ischemic events are often more prominent.

Periventricular leukomalacia is a pattern of white matter injury around the brain’s ventricles that occurs mainly in the premature infant. The developing white matter near the ventricles contains many immature oligodendrocyte precursor cells, which are highly vulnerable to hypoxia-ischemia and inflammatory injury. In preterm babies, immature cerebral blood flow regulation and frequent fluctuations in oxygen delivery make this periventricular region especially susceptible, so necrosis and subsequent cystic changes tend to concentrate there. That vulnerability explains why PVL is most commonly seen in preterm infants and is a major contributor to later motor impairments, such as spastic cerebral palsy. In term infants, PVL is much less common and other injury patterns from severe hypoxic-ischemic events are often more prominent.