Intraventricular hemorrhage, or IVH, is bleeding that occurs within or adjacent to the ventricles of the brain, most commonly in premature infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. The bleeding typically originates from the fragile germinal matrix, a highly vascularized area near the ventricles that is present during fetal brain development. On neonatal cranial ultrasound, IVH appears as echogenic (bright) material within the ventricles, and it is graded from Grade I (confined to the germinal matrix) to Grade IV (associated with large parenchymal hemorrhage). Regular cranial ultrasound screening of premature infants is the standard of care for detecting IVH, as early identification allows for monitoring of complications like post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus.
Sonography Term