Perinatal Haematological Problems

Perinatal haematology has been in many respects a neglected area of perinatal medicine in the past twenty years. It has been overshadowed by the dramatic developments in ultrasound and other fetal diagnostic techniques but notwithstanding these front-line developments there has been important progress in many haematological areas. The early chapters of this book deal with developments in pregnancy haemopoiesis, maternal malignant disorders and perinatal rheology. The practical problems of rhesus disease and haemoglobinopathies are discussed in detail by international specialists whilst later chapters expand our knowledge of basic research in developmental haemopoiesis, the anaemias of prematurity and neonatal coagulation disorders. The final chapters are concerned with practical problems which occur in everyday neonatal practice and which still have unresolved areas of management. The continuing problems of preterm intracranial haemorrhage and its subsequent effects are discussed in depth in the final chapter. The importance of the underlying mechanism is stressed in each of the chapters and this volume aims to encourage a continuing interest in the topics covered.