Left ventricular mass in newborn with perinatal asphxia: Assessment of allometric relations and impact of birth weight

doi:10.12998/wjcc.v14.i6.117269

Advanced Search

BPG is committed to discovery and dissemination of knowledge

Home / Archive / Volume 14, Issue 6

This Article

Google Scholar

Peer-Review Report of This Article

CrossCheck and Google Search of This Article

Academic Rules and Norms of This Article

Citation of this article

Corresponding Author of This Article

Research Domain of This Article

Article-Type of This Article

Open-Access Policy of This Article

Times Cited Counts in Google of This Article

Number of Hits and Downloads for This Article

Total Article Views (0)

All Articles published online

The chart showing PDF series, HTML series, Figures (1-1) series, Tables (1-6) series.

Item

Count

PDF

HTML

Figures (1-1)

Tables (1-6)

Sum=16

Featured Article

The chart showing Browse series, Download series.

Item

Count

Browse

Download

Sum=36

Publishing Process of This Article

Item

Count

Browse

Download

Sum=4

Feb 26, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 13, 2026

Times Cited of This Article

Times Cited (0)

Journal Information of This Article

Publication Name

World Journal of Clinical Cases

ISSN

2307-8960

Publisher of This Article

Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

Observational Study

World J Clin Cases. Feb 26, 2026; 14(6): 117269
Published online Feb 26, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i6.117269

Left ventricular mass in newborn with perinatal asphxia: Assessment of allometric relations and impact of birth weight

Josephat M Chinawa, Okechukwu S Ani, Odutola I Odetunde

Josephat M Chinawa, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Ituku/Ozalla, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu 400001, Nigeria

Okechukwu S Ani, Department of Pediatrics, ESUT Teaching Hospital, Enugu 400001, Nigeria

Odutola I Odetunde, Department of Pediatrics, University of Nigeria, Enugu 400001, Nigeria

Co-corresponding authors: Josephat M Chinawa and Okechukwu S Ani.

Author contributions: Chinawa JM, Ani OS, and Odutola IO conceptualized and designed the research; Chinawa JM, and Ani OS, screened patients and acquired clinical data; Chinawa JM and Ani OS, performed Data analysis; Chinawa JM, and Ani OS, wrote the paper. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Chinawa JM and Ani OS, were responsible for patient screening, enrollment, collection of clinical data. Both authors have made crucial and indispensable contributions towards the completion of the project and thus qualified as the co-first authors of the paper. Both Chinawa JM and Ani OS have played important and indispensable roles in the experimental design, data interpretation and manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors. Chinawa JM and Ani OS conceptualized, designed, and supervised the whole process of the project. Both authors searched the literature, revised and submitted the early version of the manuscript. Chinawa JM and Ani OS were instrumental and responsible for data re-analysis and re-interpretation, figure plotting, comprehensive literature search, preparation and submission of the current version of the manuscript. This collaboration between Chinawa JM and Ani OS is crucial for the publication of this manuscript and other manuscripts still in preparation.

Institutional review board statement: This was obtained from the Ethics and Research Committee of the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Enugu before the commencement of the study. The code number for the ethical clearance is ESUTHP/C-MAC/RA/034/201.

Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the parent and/or legal guardian for study participation. In addition, an informed written consent was also obtained from the parents/caregivers of the newborn babies with birth asphyxia.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no competing interests.

STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.

Data sharing statement: Data will be freely shared based on demand by the corresponding author.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Josephat M Chinawa, PhD, FACC, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Ituku/Ozalla, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku/Ozalla, 10 Thinkers Estate Enugu, Enugu 400001, Nigeria. josephat.chinawa@unn.edu.ng

Received: December 3, 2025
Revised: December 19, 2025
Accepted: February 3, 2026
Published online: February 26, 2026
Processing time: 72 Days and 8.7 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Utero-placental insufficiency seen in perinatal asphyxia may adversely affect left ventricular (LV) geometry.

AIM

To document the LV mass values in perinatal asphyxia and to elicit associated factors.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary health facility among newborns with perinatal asphyxia. Echocardiography was used to compare the LV mass of 84 new-borns with perinatal asphyxia with the LV mass of 48 new-borns without perinatal asphyxia matched for age. The data was analysed using SPSS version 25 (IBM, United States).

RESULTS

The mean LV mass (7.9 ± 2.3 g) of perinatal asphyxia is lower than control (10.1 ± 0.7 g) P = 0.001. New-borns with severe perinatal asphyxia had the lowest mean LV mass (7.1 ± 1.5), while the moderate group had the highest (8.8 ± 2.5), with the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) result of F = 1.26 and P = 0.289. The mean LV mass was highest on day 1 (8.1 ± 2.5) and slightly lower on days 2 and 3 (both 7.7 ± 1.9 and 7.7 ± 2.0, respectively). Though ANOVA result (F = 2.47, P = 0.7282) indicates no significant relationship between the age of the newborn and LV mass, a weak positive correlation was observed between LV mass and gestational age which is statistically significant (r = 0.269 P = 0.028). A moderate positive correlation between the LV mass and birth weight of newborn was observed. This is statistically significant (r = 0.610, P = 0.001). There was weak negative correlation (r = -0.10, P = 0.752), between LV mass and age of the newborn without perinatal asphyxia but a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.69, P = 0.015) was observed, between LV mass and weight in non-asphyxiated newborn.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that the LV mass in perinatal asphyxia was significantly lower than those without asphyxia. There was a direct correlation between LV mass and birth weight of neonates with perinatal asphyxia. Early detection of the cardiac disease, appropriate management and sustained reduction of birth asphyxia, and improved intra-partum quality of care are key.

Keywords: Left ventricular mass; Newborn; Perinatal asphyxia; Birthweight; Left ventricular

Core Tip: Perinatal asphyxia may cause possible insults from hypoxic ischaemic damage to the myocardium especially of the left ventricle. This changes may affect left ventricular contractility. Hypoxic- ischemic- damage of the cardiac muscles may also cause increase in peripheral vascular resistance, leading to blood flow compromise to the left ventricle.