Which postpartum complication is listed as a risk factor for PVL and subsequent cerebral palsy?

• A. Postpartum dehydration
• B. Postpartum multi-system organ failure
• C. Neonatal polycythemia
• D. Maternal postpartum anxiety

Answer: (B)

PVL stems from injury to the brain’s periventricular white matter due to hypoxia-ischemia and inflammation around birth, especially in preterm infants. A postpartum complication that signals severe systemic illness in the newborn—multi-organ dysfunction—reflects widespread hypoperfusion and distress during the perinatal period, which heightens the risk of PVL and, later, cerebral palsy. This needs to be understood as the strongest indicator among the options because it embodies the kind of global neonatal instability that directly injures the developing brain. While other factors like polycythemia can contribute to cerebral injury, the presence of multi-organ failure captures a broader, more impactful stress on the newborn’s physiology that leads to PVL.