Neurodevelopmental Outcome of the Premature Infant

Advances in antenatal medicine and neonatal intensive care have successfully resulted in improved survival rates of preterm infants. These improvements have been most dramatic in infants born extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <= 1000 g) and at the limits of viability (22 to 25 weeks). But improvements in survival have not been accompanied by proportional reductions in the incidence of disability in this population. Thus, survival is not an adequate measure of success in these infants who remain at high risk for neurodevelopmental and behavioral morbidities. There is now increasing evidence of sustained adverse outcomes into school age and adolescence, not only for ELBW infants but for infants born late preterm.