[Value of brain ultrasound studies of newborn infants for prediction of neurological development in the 1st year of life].

BACKGROUND

Recent advances in perinatology have been associated with a decrease in perinatal mortality. However, nowadays detailed assessments are of major importance for accurate prediction of neurologic development of extreme low birth weight infants and term infants with severely disturbed postnatal adaptation. This study examined the role of cranial ultrasound for the prediction of developmental progress during the first year of life.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty nine infants with gestational age less than 33. weeks and fifty seven infants with gestational age above 32. weeks were studied. Each infant was classified as normal, suspect or abnormal using cranial ultrasound and a specialized scoring system during the first days and twelve month of life. Repeated structured neurological examination were carried out during the first year of corrected age. By statistical analysis was investigated the correlation between the degree of ultrasound abnormalities and neurological outcome of neonates of both different gestational age groups.

RESULTS

We diagnosed the same share of pathological ultrasound scans in both groups within the first days of life. In contrast there were remarkable differences concerning the results of sonographic investigation at the end of the first year of life. We demonstrated a significant higher incidence of abnormal findings in neonates with a gestational age less than 33 weeks at this point of time. The neurological progress of neonates of both groups was significantly disturbed in cases of major sonographic abnormalities. Cases of mild or moderate ultrasound abnormalities were significantly associated with a poor neurologic outcome only in neonates with a gestational age less than 33 weeks. By statistical analysis we proved a significant value of cranial ultrasound for prediction of neurological development of preterm neonates with gestational age less than 33 weeks. The certainty prediction of neurodevelopmental sequelae in neonates with gestational age above 32 weeks was associated with major sonographic abnormalities but not with mild or moderate sonographic pathology.

CONCLUSION

The prognostic accuracy of ultrasound scans performed in the first week of life is important for preterm neonates with gestational age less than 33 weeks. In neonates with gestational age above 32 weeks we revealed no significant predictive value of the method. This limits the value of this technique in this patients as a reliable method for recognising of the infants with the need of early rehabilitation.