Prognostic factors for cerebral palsy and motor impairment in children born very preterm or very low birthweight: a systematic review

AIM There is a large literature reporting risk factor analyses for poor neurodevelopment in children born very preterm (VPT: <= 32wks) or very low birthweight (VLBW: <= 1250g), which to date has not been formally summarized. The aim of this paper was to identify prognostic factors for cerebral palsy (CP) and motor impairment in children born VPT/VLBW. METHOD A systematic review was conducted using Medline, Embase, and Pyscinfo databases to identify studies published between 1 January 1990 and 1 June 2014 reporting multivariable prediction models for poor neurodevelopment in VPT/VLBW children (registration number CRD42014006943). Twenty-eight studies for motor outcomes were identified. RESULTS There was strong evidence that intraventricular haemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia, and some evidence that the use of postnatal steroids and non-use of antenatal steroids, were prognostic factors for CP. Male sex and gestational age were of limited use as prognostic factors for CP in cohorts restricted to <= 32 weeks gestation; however, in children older than 5 years with no major disability, there was evidence that male sex was a predictive factor for motor impairment. INTERPRETATION This review has identified factors which may be of prognostic value for CP and motor impairment in VPT/VLBW children and will help to form the basis of future prognostic research.