School-aged extremely preterm (EPT) children have multiple specific neurocognitive/behavioral disorders that are often associated with other disorders; this manifests a true neurobehavioral “phenotype” of prematurity. To determine a profile of cognitive/behavioral impairments in a population of school-aged EPT children (7–10 years-old) without major disabilities, a cross-sectional study was conducted in five medical centers. An algorithm distributed the study population according to four WISC-IV subtests, five NEPSY-2 subtests, and two variables of figure of Rey. The behavior (SDQ), anxiety (Spielberg STAI-C), and generic QoL (Kidscreen 10 and VSP-A) were also evaluated. The study included 231 school-aged EPT children. Three neurobehavioral “phenotypes” were defined according to their severity: 1 = moderately, 2 = minor, and 3 = unimpaired. In all the profiles, the working memory, perceptual reasoning, as well as mental flexibility, were close to or below average, and their emotional behavior was always troubled. Self-esteem and school-work were the most impacted QoL areas. The unimpaired neurobehavior exhibited emotional behavioral impairment and executive dysfunction. The profile analysis defined distinct outcome groups and provided an informative means of identifying factors related to developmental outcomes. The QoL deterioration is determined by the severity of the three neurobehavioral “phenotypes”, which is defined as well as by dysexecutive and/or behavioral disorders.

Uni-modal orofacial stimulation (OFS) for preventing very preterm infants’ oral disorders is highly controversial. Our study sought to demonstrate that OFS reduced cardio-respiratory events and improved food autonomy in a population of very preterm infants. Our study was randomized, controlled, prospective, and unicentric. The preterm included were born between 26–29 weeks gestational age (GA) with a corrected postnatal age <33 weeks GA. They were randomized into two groups: the experimental group underwent OFS, according to a protocol established, over 10 consecutive days, and the control group underwent no OFS. The primary outcome was the number of cardiorespiratory events: apnea–bradycardia (with or without desaturations) or number of isolated desaturations, which were evaluated at four separate times. Measurements occurred during the first, fourth and eighth independent feedings. Seventeen patients were included in the experimental group and 18 in the control group. The number of cardiorespiratory events for all independent feeding times was significantly reduced in the OFS group (p = 0.003) with univariate analysis, but not with multivariable analysis. The quantity of milk ingested during the first autonomous feeding was higher in the experimental group. The acquisition of food autonomy and the duration of hospitalization were similar in the two groups. While our study does not affirm that an early unimodal OFS improves premature infants’ cardiorespiratory evolution and/or the acquisition of food autonomy, it does indicate an improved food efficiency during their first autonomous feedings.

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