Serum creatine-kinase-BB concentration in very low birth weight babies with posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation.

The association between measurements of lateral ventricle dilatation determined by serial ultrasound and brain specific creatine-kinase isoenzyme patterns (CK-BB) is studied in 60 very low birth weight preterm neonates of 1,500 g birth weight or 32 weeks gestation or less. The patients were divided into three groups according to cranial ultrasonographic findings: Group A (n =20) had isolated peri-intraventricular hemorrhage (PIVH);group B (n =20) hadPIVH and dilated ventricles (VM); group C (n =20) were normal matched preterms and formed the control group. Compared to control babies or those with isolated PIVH, high serum concentrations of CK-BB were observed after birth in babies with persistent dilated ventricles at two weeks postnatal age (p 0.05). We suggest that an elevated CK-BB value is found in babies with persistent ventricular dilatation suggesting severe and diffuse brain damage after posthemorrhagic ventriculomegaly (VM).