Cranial Haemorrhage in the Term Newborn Infant

Intracranial haemorrhage affects more than 1 liveborn term infant in 100. The range of aetiologies has been expanded from trauma due to breech or instrumental delivery, to birth asphyxia, haemorrhagic diathesis, infection and prenatal injury. A shift towards diagnosis in life has been brought about by the application of ultrasound, CT and NMR imaging. Survival of most affected infants has encouraged neonatologists and paediatric radiologists to describe their findings in the past decade, yielding a wealth of data. Medicolegal implications surrounding delivery and neonatal care have increased the demand for thorough description of perinatal intracranial events.