Visual, motor, and psychomotor development in small-for-gestational-age preterm infants

PURPOSE To study causal links between the visual, cognitive, and psychomotor outcomes of premature babies who are small for gestational age (SGA). METHODS A cohort study of 17 SGA cases and 34 controls who were appropriate for gestational age (AGA) was carried out. The cases were all premature babies without any other pathology. All subjects underwent a visual, mental, and psychomotor evaluation at 1 year of age. RESULTS Of the SGA cases, 41% had a below normal visual acuity versus 17.7% of the AGA controls. At 1 year of age the SGA babies showed an odds ratio of 18.73 for low visual acuity, 9.09 for low mental performance, and no significant risk for a decreased psychomotor performance. CONCLUSIONS In this small cohort of premature infants, the SGA babies were more prone to developing low visual performance and abnoimal cognitive development.