Twelve-month neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants with and without intrauterine growth restriction

Aim: To evaluate the neurodevelopmental outcome at 12 months' corrected age in preterm infants with and without severe intrauterine growth restriction. Methods: This prospective follow-up study included 37 infants with severe intrauterine growth restriction and 36 appropriate-for-gestational-age infants born between 26 and 34 weeks. Neonatal and infant data were prospectively recorded. Infants were assessed at 12 +/- 2 months' corrected age with the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination and the Bayley Scale for Infant Development version-II. Results: Both groups were similar in demographic characteristics and perinatal status. No significant differences in neurodevelopmental performance were found. The mental development index was 98.8 (SD 9.0) vs 98.4 (SD 13.1) (p = 0.9) and the psychomotor development index was 91.7 (SD 9.9) vs 95.5 (SD 13.4) (p = 0.2) for the study and reference groups respectively. Neurological assessment showed no significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: Although the study group showed a non-significant trend towards a lower score in the psychomotor development index than the reference group, significant differences at 12 months could not be demonstrated. IUGR infants continued to have significantly lower weight, length and head circumference at 1 year.