The preterm brain is vulnerable to injury through multiple mechanisms, from direct
cerebral injury through ischemia and hemorrhage, indirect injury through inflammatory
processes, and aberrations in growth and development. While prevention of preterm
birth is the best neuroprotective strategy, this is not always possible. This article
will review various obstetric and neonatal practices that have been shown to confer
a neuroprotective effect on the developing brain.
Keywords
very low-birth-weight - brain injury - neuroprotection - outcomes - premature infant