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Intrathecal Urokinase As A Treatment For Intraventricular Hemorrhage In The Preterm Infant, Roger J. Hudgins, William R. Boydston, Patricia A. Hudgins, Robin Morris, Saul M. Adler, Carita Lynn Gilreath

Psychology Faculty Publications

Despite improvements in the care of preterm infants, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) continue to be frequent occurrences in this patient population. Shunt procedures in these children are frequently complicated by obstruction and/or infection. As the hydrocephalus is usually caused by an obliterative arachnoiditis due to contact of the blood with the basilar meninges, it was postulated that infusion of urokinase into the ventricles of infants who have sustained an IVH would clear the blood, mitigate the arachnoiditis, and prevent the progression of PHH. Accordingly, 18 preterm infants who had sustained IVH and subsequently developed PHH were treated …