Small thymus in very low birth weight infants born to mothers with subclinical chorioamnionitis

Chorioamnionitis, a major cause of preterm birth with significant neonatal morbidity and mortality, frequently occurs in mothers who are free of sympt oms. A combined clinical, radiologic, and pathologic study of 129 very low birth weight infants indicated a significant association between a markedly decreased thymic size at birth and subclinical chorioamnionitis.