TITLE:
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Premature Infants with Extremely Low and Very Low Birth Weight at Three Years of Age: A Retrospective Study
AUTHORS:
Eileen Romer McGrath, Mark Borgstrom, Elias Adrian Ramirez-Moreno, Jennie Jacob
KEYWORDS:
Extremely Preterm, Extremely Low Birth Weight, Very Preterm, Very Low Birth Weight, Neurodevelopmental Outcomes, Early Intervention
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.13 No.3,
May
11,
2023
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The purpose of this retrospective study is to identify
medical conditions impacting neurodevelopmental outcomes of extremely low birth
weight and very low birth weight preterm infants at three years of age. Methods:
Infants born in Banner Diamond Children’s University Medical Center, receiving services in the Newborn Intensive
Care Unit, and attending Neonatal Developmental Follow-Up Clinic were
identified. Participants received developmental assessment and follow-up
from August 2012 through December 2018. Relevant clinical conditions during
initial hospital stay and up to three years of age were obtained by reviewing
medical and developmental records. Bayley Scales of Infant Toddler Development
(Bayley III) was used to evaluate skill development at 6, 9, 12, 18, 24,
30, 36 months. Results: Data analysis did not reveal significant p-values; it
did demonstrate that some predictor variables impact neurodevelopmental
outcomes in cognitive, language and motor skill development. Conclusion: This
retrospective study reports significant association between birth weight and
low cognitive scores. Correlations were also found between gestational age and
Total Language, and the longer an infant stayed in the NICU, the poorer the
Total Language Scaled Scores at 8 to 12 months, 15 to 18 months, and 24 to 36
months. Birth weight was found to be the greatest predictor of poor motor
scores.