OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship among maternal choriamnionitis, cord interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration, brain damage and neurological deficits in the first 3 years of life, and to study the significance of cord IL-6 in the evaluation of the prognosis of preterm neonatal brain damage. METHODS: Twenty-six preterm neonates born between May, 1998 and February, 1999 were enrolled in this study. The cord IL-6 concentration was detected by ELISA. Maternal choriamnionitis was confirmed by histological examination of the placenta. All infants had either ultrasonography or CT in the first three days of their lives and a subsequent follow-up visit within three years of their lives. RESULTS: The incidence of neurological deficits was higher in preterm infants with brain damage than that in those without. The incidence of neurological deficits was also higher in those whose mothers had choriamnionitis. The cord IL-6 concentration in preterm infants with neurological deficits was higher than that in those without. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal chorioamnionitis may result in an increased incidence of brain damage and subsequent development of neurological deficits in preterm infants. It is therefore very important to prevent and treat maternal intrauterine infections early with the view to decreasing the risk of subsequent neurologic deficits. Cord IL-6 may be elevated in maternal chorioamnionitis and may predict the subsequent development of neurological deficits.