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Am J Perinatol 1990; 7(1): 60-65
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-999448
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

© 1990 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Five-Year Outcome of Infants of Birthweight 500 to 1500 Grams: Relationship with Neonatal Ultrasound Data

William H. Kitchen, Geoffrey W. Ford, Anne L. Richards, Lex W. Doyle, Elaine Kelly, Laurence J. Murton
  • Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, and the Division of Paediatrics, The Royal Women's Hospital, Carlton, Australia
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Publication History

Publication Date:
04 March 2008 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Of 154 consecutive survivors of birthweight 500 to 1500 gm, 139 (90.3%) were seen at 5 years of age, corrected for prematurity, and 137 (89%) were able to be fully assessed by both the psychologist and pediatrician. All but two children had had serial cranial ultrasonography with a linear array real-time scanner in the neonatal period. At 5 years, of 39 children with cerebral ultrasound abnormalities detected during their primary hospitalization, seven (17.9%) had cerebral palsy, but 32 (82.1%) did not. A further three children with cerebral palsy at 5 years had had no cerebral abnormalities on ultrasound. Of the cerebral abnormalities diagnosed by ultrasound, ventricular dilation, with or without cerebroventricular hemorrhage, had the highest positive predictive value (40%) for cerebral palsy at 5 years. In the 127 children free from cerebral palsy at 5 years, two (1.6%) had severe intellectual impairment, both of whom had had normal cerebral ultrasonography. Although neonatal cranial ultrasonography with a linear array was somewhat predictive of cerebral palsy at 5 years, the majority of infants with abnormal scans had no severe sensorineural impairments at 5 years.

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