Obstetric risk factors and time trends of neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years in very‐low‐birthweight infants: a single institution study

Abstract

ABBREVIATIONS pPROMPreterm premature rupture of membranes SGA Small for gestational age VLBW Very low birthweight AIM To assess the time trends of neonatal survival and infant neurodevelopmental outcome in very-low-birthweight children at 24 months corrected age over a 20-year period.METHOD The study cohort comprised 857 infants (439 males and 418 females) weighing less than 1500g at birth or delivered before 32 weeks gestational age in the period 1989 to 2008. Neurological examination and cognitive assessment of the infants (Bayley Scales of Infant Development and Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale) were performed at 24 months corrected age. RESULTSThe prevalence of neonatal survival with normal neurodevelopmental outcome increased from 55

Reading and math abilities of Finnish school beginners born very preterm or with very low birth weight

“…Moreover, poor intrauterine growth is also a risk for development (Guellec et al, 2016), which justifies using a birth weight limit regardless of gestational age for choosing a high-risk group. Birth weight below 1500 g, usually referred to as 'very low birth weight', or that under 1000 g ('extremely low birth weight') put an infant to a risk for developmental problems even during modern neonatology with much improved prospects with preterm infants compared to earlier decades (Gardella et al, 2015). Many preterm born children start school with special educational needs (Hornby & Woodward, 2009;Litt, Taylor, Klein, & Hack, 2005;Sucksdorff et al, 2015), with these needs tending to increase along with a shorter gestational age or a more severe growth restriction (Larroque et al, 2011).…”

Placental Histological Features and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at Two Years in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants

“…3 Among these, etiology of VLBW, antenatal steroid and magnesium sulfate use, pregnancy, and neonatal complications have been associated with adverse infant outcomes. [4][5][6][7] Most of the pathophysiologic events leading to VLBW births occur at the placental level; choriodecidual inflammation, maternal and FVM, loss of placental integrity, and villitis are placental pathologic lesions involved in the pathogenesis of preterm delivery and fetal growth restriction (FGR). 8,9 Surprisingly, with the only possible exception of chorioamnionitis, studies on placental lesions of VLBW infants are mostly incomplete, represented by small case series or case-control investigations.…”

Understanding and treating children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders.

“…Low birth weight has been extensively researched as a risk factor for poor functional outcomes in part because other perinatal complications can present with low birth weight; it can be an outcome of other perinatal complications and a predictor of future problems by itself, and it serves as an example of the additive and synergistic effects of risk factors discussed previously. Despite low birth weight being associated with adverse developmental outcomes, recent research suggests advances in medical technology and care have led to increased survival rates and better neurodevelopmental outcomes for children with low birth weight (Gardella et al, 2015). However, in a comprehensive review of outcomes associated with preterm birth and low birth weight, Westrupp, Howard, & Anderson (2011) stated that as many as 50% of children born preterm or with low birth weight have at least "subtle learning, cognitive, and behavioral problems" (p. 749).…”