Impaired brain growth and neurodevelopment in preterm infants with post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation
Acta Pediatrica, 04/20/2012

Jary S et al. – Brain growth is significantly impaired in post–hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation. Volumetric measurements at term of total cerebral and cerebellar volume may have a role in predicting severity of disability.

• 25 preterm infants with post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation had cerebral magnetic resonance imaging at term age. Total and regional brain volumes were calculated using a manual segmentation technique.
• Bayley Scales of Infant Development II were assessed at 2 years post term. Developmental Quotients (DQ) were calculated from Developmental Age Equivalent scores.

• Total cerebral volume, excluding ventricles, correlated positively with Motor (r = 0.8, p<0.0001), and Mental DQ (r =0.4,p=0.02). Only 3 out of 16 infants with cerebral volume <336 cm3 were ambulant at 2 years.
• Cerebellar volumes correlated strongly with Motor DQ (r=0.6,p=0.002) but only with Mental DQ after adjustment. Thalamic volumes correlated strongly with Motor DQ (r=0.7,p=0.0002).