Infants born to mothers with PE have been shown to have neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and a decreased incidence of IVH. Neutropenia is associated with a reduction in ischemic brain injury in lab animals. Objective: to investigate the relationship between IVH, changes in the hemogram and other potential confounding variables in infants born to mothers with PE. Methods: review of infants < 1500g admitted to a single level III NICU from 7/93-7/96 with a minimum of 1 head ultrasound; n=356. Infants born to mothers with PE compared to those without maternal PE by Student's t-test and chi-square. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to account for potential confounding variables. All data are expressed as mean ± SD. Results: Infants born to mothers with PE(n=52) were more likely to have received MgSO4 (75% vs 36%, p<.0001), had a decreased incidence of IVH(8% vs 21%, p=.02), grade III-IV IVH (2% vs 11%, p=.04) were of advanced gest. age (30 ± 3.1 vs 27.9 ± 2.8 wks, p<.0001) and were less likely to have received prenatal steroids (29% vs 53%,p=.001) as compared to the mothers without PE. There was no difference in the incidence of PVL (2% vs 5%, p=.4) between the groups. On admission to the NICU, infants of pregnancies complicated by PE had a lower total wbc count (7.2 ± 3.9 vs 11.5± 9.0 ×1000/ mm3, p=.0008), lower absolute neutrophil count (3.1 ± 2.6 vs 5.5 ± 5.7 ×1000/mm3, p=.003), lower platelet count (195 ± 88 vs 224 ± 75 1000/mm3, p=.01) and higher hct. (48.1 ± 7.7 vs 44.3 ± 7.5%, p=.01) as compared to the infants of mothers without PE. There was no difference in nucleated red blood cells between the groups. After logistic regression modeling (r=.47,variance explained.21), only gest. age (p<.0001) remainded associated with IVH. Conclusions: In our population, despite lower platelet counts and being less likely to have received prenatal corticosteroids, infants born to mothers with PE have a significant reduction in the incidence of IVH. This association is most likely secondary to higher gest. age and is not associated with changes in the initial hemogram and not directly to use of MgSO4.