This study was conducted to obtain the low birth weight (LBW) rate and the very low birth weight (VLBW) rate of newborn infants based on a large population in Korea. We analyzed 108, 486 live birth data, collected from 75 hospitals and clinics located in Korea, whose gestational age (GA) were greater than 23 weeks, for 1 yr from January 1st to December 31st 2001. These data included birth weight, GA, gender of the infants, delivery type, maternal age, and the presence of multiple pregnancies. The mean birth weight and GA of a crude population are 3, 188+/-518 g and 38.7+/-2.1 weeks, respectively. The LBW and the VLBW rates are 7.2% and 1.4%, respectively. The preterm birth rate (less than 37 completed weeks of gestation) is 8.4% and the extremely preterm birth rate (less than 32 completed weeks of gestation) is 1.7%. The mean birth weights for female infants, multiple births, and births delivered by cesarean section were lower than those for male, singletons, and births delivered vaginally. The risk of delivering LBW or VLBW infant was higher for the teenagers and the elderly women (aged 35 yr and more). Although our study did not include the total birth data in 2001, rates of LBW and VLBW which we obtained, could be helpful for future studies on birth weight, frequency of high risk infants and perinatal risk factors.
Adolescent ; Aged ; Birth Weight ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Korea* ; Live Birth ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Multiple Birth Offspring ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Premature Birth ; Risk Factors

Systemic candidiasis in premature infants often involves the central nervous system (CNS) but only a few reported cases of candidiasis involving the brain parenchyma were found in a recent search of the literature and there is no uniformly accepted approach for treatment of CNS Candida infection in neonates. We report a case of extremely low birth weight infant who had candiduria and Candida meningitis with multiple abscesses formation in brain parenchyma who was successfully treated with long term amphotericin B, flucytosine, and fluconazole therapy without surgical drainage.
Abscess ; Amphotericin B* ; Brain Abscess* ; Brain* ; Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Candidiasis ; Central Nervous System ; Drainage ; Fluconazole* ; Flucytosine* ; Humans ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Meningitis

Beals-Hecht syndrome, also known as congenital contractural arachnodactyly, is a rare autosomal dominant, connective tissue disorder characterized by congenital joint contractures, arachnodactyly, dolichostenomelia, crumpled ear, and kyphoscoliosis. We report a case of Beals-Hecht syndrome in a 4 days old female newborn baby, associated with congenital knee and elbow joint contractures, arachnodactyly, dolichostenomelia, crumpled ear, and 4 umbilical arteries, with brief review of the related literatures.
Arachnodactyly ; Connective Tissue ; Contracture ; Ear ; Elbow Joint ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Joints ; Knee ; Umbilical Arteries

Chromosome 7q deletion, relatively rare syndrome, was first described by de Grouchy in 1969. The most frequent clinical manifestations of a "7q deletion syndrome" include; low birth weight, postnatal growth retardation, mental retardation, developmental delay, microcephaly, congenital heart disease, hypotonia, bulbous nasal tip and abnormal ears. We report a case of 7q deletion syndrome with microcephaly, upslanting palpabral fissure, micrognathia, bulbous nasal tip, developmental delay and hydronephrosis.
Ear ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis* ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Intellectual Disability ; Microcephaly ; Muscle Hypotonia

We present a case of de novo reciprocal unbalanced translocation of chromosome 16, [46, XX, 8p+, der(8)t(8;16)(p23;q13)enh(16)], associated with clinical features, including anal atresia, vertebral anomaly, urogenital anomaly, single umbilical artery, ventricular septal defect and bilateral sensorineural hearing losses.
Anus, Imperforate ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16* ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Single Umbilical Artery

Hydrops describes the infant who has generalized edema due to accumulation of excess fluid. In severe case, massive edema with ascites and pleural and pericardial effusions are commonly combined. The main etiology of hydrops fetalis has been changed from immune type which is caused by fetomaternal blood group incompatibility to nonimmune type. Although cardiovascular diseases are the most common (23% to 38%) causes for nonimmune hydrops fetalis, fetal tumors still compromise 5% to 7% of the diseases. We report a case of nonimmune hydrops fetalis due to intraperitoneal hemangioma. The newborn infant was managed surgically and had excellent outcome.
Ascites ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Edema ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Pericardial Effusion

The renal abscess is a rare disease in neonate. The clinical findings consist of non- specific symptoms such as fever, lethargy, flank mass and laboratory abnormalities including leukocytosis, elevated CRP, ESR and pyuria. The diagnosis can be made with ultrasonography, CT scan and DMSA. The renal abscess involving corticomedullary region is known to be frequently associated with urologic abnormality and can progress into perirenal abscess which has been reported to have a poor prognosis. The treatments include antibiotic therapy, drainage of abscess and surgical intervention. We report a neonate with bilateral renal abscesses with underlying vesicoureteral reflux grade V which was successfully treated with antibiotic therapy and drainage of abscess.
Abscess* ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Lethargy ; Leukocytosis ; Prognosis ; Pyuria ; Rare Diseases ; Succimer ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

Neonatal hemochromatosis is a very rare disorder with an unclear etiology with an extremely poor outcome. We report a case of female newborn who presented with direct hyperbilirubinemia without any evidence of congenital infection, immune related hemolysis or exogenous iron uptake. Diagnostic studies revealed highly elevated ferritin level. T2 weighted image of abdominal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showed decreased signal intensity of entire left lobe and a part of right lobe of liver with normal spleen. Liver biopsy showed a large amount of hemosiderin in the hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. All the biochemical and excretory liver functions normalized with conservative managements.
Biopsy ; Female ; Ferritins ; Hemochromatosis* ; Hemolysis ; Hemosiderin ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Infant, Newborn ; Iron ; Kupffer Cells ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spleen

Neonatal Hemangioendothelioma (HE) is the most common type of hepatic vascular tumor that presents in infancy. HE generally undergo spontaneous regression within a year, but it may become symptomatic and be associated with life-threatening complications including congestive heart failure, consumptive coagulopathy and hepatic rupture. We report five cases of neonatal hepatic HE with brief review of the literatures. The report include a case of HE associated with AV malformation complicated by congestive heart failure who was successfully treated by hepatic artery embolization, a case of HE associated with transposition of great artery (TGA), and three cases of asymptomatic HE with spontaneous involution.
Arteries ; Heart Failure ; Hemangioendothelioma* ; Hepatic Artery ; Rupture

Hemangioma is the most frequent liver tumor in infancy. The treatment of hepatic hemangioma includes medical, surgical, and non-operative interventional therapy. There are no standard medical regimens currently considered consistently effective. MDMP (megadose methylprednisolone) and alpha-interferon can be used for medical treatment. Interventional occlusion of feeding arteries in symptomatic hepatic hemangioma is considered a safe and effective alternative to early open surgery. Untreated symptomatic patients with heart failure have a high mortality rate. For this reason symptomatic patients with heart failure may require non-operative treatment such as interventional embolization, because hepatic resection is burdened with high risk. We report our experiences of two patients with neonatal liver hemangiomas whose clinical courses were complicated by cardiac failure to whom medical treatment and/or interventional vascular occlusion were done. Both patients had Kasabach-Merritt syndrome complicated with cardiac failure. Initially, the masses were considered unresectable. In one case, we performed interventional therapy in addition to medical treatment. In another case, we tried medical therapy with megadose steroid and alpha-interferon. Unfortunately, in spite of the treatments, the patients died of severe hemorrhage.
Arteries ; Heart Failure ; Hemangioma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Interferon-alpha ; Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome* ; Liver* ; Mortality