Buck Catherine O, Santoro Kristin L, Shabanova Veronika, Martin Camilia R, Taylor Sarah N
Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Department of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Pediatr Res. 2024 Dec;96(7):1724-1731. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-03439-2. Epub 2024 Jul 28.
Regional fat distribution may be a marker of metabolic health and brain growth in preterm infants. Point of care ultrasound has been used to assess regional fat in term infants but has not been used widely in preterm infants.
To longitudinally quantify changes in body composition metrics using bedside ultrasound in very preterm infants.
Very preterm infants (N = 69) were enrolled after birth and body composition assessments were done through 36 completed weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA). Linear mixed effects regression was used to model change in body composition assessments over time.
There was an average increase across PMA for each body composition outcome. Biceps ultrasound subcutaneous fat (SQF) thickness increased by 0.11 mm (95% CI: 0.09, 0.13) each postmenstrual week. Triceps, subscapular, and abdominal ultrasound SQF remained constant through 28 weeks' PMA, then increased each week through 36 completed weeks' PMA. The inter-rater and intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficients for the ultrasound SQF measures ranged from 85.8 to 99.9.
Use of ultrasound as a novel method to assess regional fat distribution in very preterm infants is feasible and reliable.
Regional fat distribution may be a marker of metabolic health and brain growth in preterm infants. Gold standard body composition assessments may not be feasible in medically fragile very preterm infants. This study assesses longitudinally changes in regional adiposity development using bedside ultrasound techniques in a multicenter cohort of very preterm infants. Results of this study show that bedside ultrasound as a novel method to assess regional subcutaneous fat distribution and development in very preterm infants is both feasible and reliable.
局部脂肪分布可能是早产儿代谢健康和大脑发育的一个指标。即时超声已用于评估足月儿的局部脂肪，但在早产儿中尚未广泛应用。
纵向量化极早产儿床边超声下身体成分指标的变化。
极早产儿（N = 69）出生后入组，在孕龄（PMA）满36周时进行身体成分评估。采用线性混合效应回归模型分析身体成分评估随时间的变化。
每个身体成分指标在孕龄期间均有平均增加。肱二头肌超声皮下脂肪（SQF）厚度每周增加0.11毫米（95%可信区间：0.09，0.13）。肱三头肌、肩胛下和腹部超声SQF在孕龄28周前保持不变，然后在孕龄满36周期间每周增加。超声SQF测量的组间和组内相关系数范围为85.8至99.9。
超声作为评估极早产儿局部脂肪分布的新方法是可行且可靠的。
局部脂肪分布可能是早产儿代谢健康和大脑发育的一个指标。在医学上脆弱的极早产儿中，金标准身体成分评估可能不可行。本研究在一个多中心极早产儿队列中，纵向评估了床边超声技术下局部肥胖发育的变化。本研究结果表明，床边超声作为评估极早产儿局部皮下脂肪分布和发育的新方法是可行且可靠的。
