Aim: We evaluated the impact of fetal growth restriction on neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years corrected age for infants born before 27 weeks gestational age.
Method: Data on infants born before 27 weeks gestational age between 1999 and 2008 (n=463), admitted to a tertiary neonatal unit in Paris, were used to compare neurological outcomes at 2 years for infants with birthweight lower than the 10th centile and birthweight of at least the 10th centile, using intrauterine reference curves. Outcomes were cerebral palsy (CP) and the Brunet-Lézine assessment of cognitive development, which provides age-corrected overall and domain-specific (global and fine motor skills, language and social interaction) developmental quotients. Models were adjusted for perinatal and social factors.
Results: Seventy-two percent of infants were discharged alive. Eighty-three percent (n=268) were evaluated at 2 years. Six percent had CP. Fetal growth restriction was not associated with the risk of CP. After adjustment, children with a birthweight lower than the 10th centile had a global developmental quotient 4.7 points lower than those with birthweight of at least the 10th centile (p<0.001); differences were greatest for fine motor and social skills (-4.7, p=0.053 and -7.3, p<0.001 respectively).
Interpretation: In extremely preterm children, fetal growth restriction was associated with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years, but not with CP.
© 2016 Mac Keith Press.