Developmental Outcomes after Preterm Births
Melissa A. Walker
Kevin J. Staley
Lasting Effects of Preterm Birth and Neonatal Brain Hemorrhage at 12 Years of Age
Luu TM, Ment LR, Schneider KC, et al. Pediatrics. 2009;123(3):1037–1044
Background
Preterm children with normal intelligence have higher rates of neurodevelopmental disabilities compared to their term peers; high-grade intraventricular hemorrhages (IVHs) can lead to additional sequelae in these children.1 However, the majority of outcome data was from infants born in the late 1970s to early 1980s. Given interval improvements in neonatal care including administration of prenatal steroids and surfactant with resultant improved survival, this study sought to assess the effect of preterm birth on current long-term developmental outcomes.
Objectives
To describe cognitive, language, and behavioral outcomes of preterm children at 12 years of age.
Methods
Prospective observational study at 3 US centers of children born between 1989 and 1992.
Patients
375 children age 12 years born prematurely with very low birth weight (600 to 1,250 g) cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit and 111 children born at full term who served as matched controls. Select exclusion criteria: presence of grade 3–4 IVH, periventricular leukomalacia, or severe ventriculomegaly on cranial ultrasound.
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