The relation between clinical or histologic chorioamnionitis and early neonatal adverse neurologic outcome was investigated (n = 483). Histologic, but not clinical, evidence of chorioamnionitis was found to be a significant predictor of periventricular echodensity (odds ratio, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.8-3.2), echolucency (3.3; 1.9-5.6), ventriculomegaly (2.7; 1.8-4.2), intraventricular hemorrhage > or =3 (3.5; 2.4-5.2), and seizures (2.3; 1.4-3.7).