Relationship between early neurological function and motor skills in Brazilian preterm infants: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Preterm infants have an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays, with consequences that may persist in later life. Thus, monitoring their development is needed for early detection and targeted intervention. This study aimed to assess the correlation between neurological function and motor skills in preterm infants from 2 to 6 months of corrected age after hospital discharge in an outpatient follow-up program.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 50 preterm infants with a mean gestational age of 32.0 (± 2.8) weeks and a mean birth weight of 1645.2 (± 576.5) grams. Neurological function and motor development were assessed once between two to six months of corrected age by using the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) and Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), respectively. Data on pregnancy, type of delivery, and birth were obtained using interviews with family and medical records. The Spearman correlation coefficient assessed the association between HINE and AIMS scores.

RESULTS

A significant correlation was found between HINE categories and AIMS subscales: cranial nerve function versus prone (r = 0.55; p < 0.001); posture versus prone (r = 0.69; p < 0.001); posture versus sitting (r = 0.67; p < 0.001); posture versus standing (r = 0.63; p < 0.001); tone versus sitting (r = 0.51; p < 0.001); tone versus standing (r = 0.49; p < 0.001); and total HINE versus total AIMS (r = 0.77; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study found strong correlation between neurological function and motor skills in preterm infants during the first months of life. Whilst the HINE and AIMS can complete each other, where there are limited resources the HINE may be appropriate to administer as a single assessment.