Mechanisms of perinatal brain injury.

Perinatal brain injury is associated with pathological conditions caused by pathogenetic mechanisms that remain unclear. Brain lesions can result not only from brain injury but may also originate during fetal growth. Fetal encephalopathy includes 4 groups of causes: maternal, fetal, placental and idiopathic. Hypoxic-ischemic lesions (periventricular leucomalacia and subcortical leucomalacia) and hemorrhage lesions (germinal hemorrhage) are discussed.