EFFECT OF MAGNESIUM-SULFATE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CYSTIC PERIVENTRICULAR LEUKOMALACIA IN PRETERM INFANTS

To determine if magnesium sulfate has an effect on the development of cystic periventricular leukomalacia in preterm infants, this retrospec tive case control study was conducted. There were 23,382 infants born at three teaching hospitals in the metropolitan New York area from Jan uary 1992 to December 1994. Four hundred ninety-two infants met our en trance criteria. Criteria included a birth weight <1750 g, survival to at least 7 days of life and at least one cranial ultrasound after 7 d ays of life. infants exposed to magnesium sulfate in utero were less l ikely to develop periventricular leukomalacia. Two of 18 (11%) infants with periventricular leukomalacia were exposed to magnesium sulfate i n-utero compared to 14 of 36 controls (39%) (p = 0.035) (OR = 0.196, 9 5% CI = 0.039-0.988). Pre-eclampsia as an independent factor was not a ssociated with a reduced risk (p = 0.251) (OR = 0.294, 95% CI = 0.033- 2.65). Preterm infants exposed to antenatal magnesium sulfate were fou nd to have a reduced risk of developing cystic periventricular leukoma lacia.