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Neuroimaging and Bayley-III correlates of early hand function in extremely preterm children
Duncan, A. F., Bann, C. M., Dempsey, A. G., Adams-Chapman, I., Heyne, R., Hintz, S. R., & Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (2019). Neuroimaging and Bayley-III correlates of early hand function in extremely preterm children. Journal of Perinatology, 39(3), 488-496. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-019-0314-0
OBJECTIVE(S): Investigate associations between 18 and 22-month corrected age hand function, adverse findings on serial cranial ultrasound (CUS) and near-term brain MRI (ntMRI), and Bayley-III scores in extremely preterm (EPT) toddlers.
STUDY DESIGN: Cohort analysis of Neonatal Research Network SUPPORT NEURO data. Associations between brain abnormalities, hand function, and Bayley-III scores were examined using chi-square and generalized linear mixed effect model analyses.
RESULTS: A total of 433 children were included. Sixteen percent had hand function deficits; these were associated with late CUS (p < 0.001) abnormalities, white matter abnormality (WMA) on ntMRI (p < 0.001), and Bayley-III scores. Six percent had CP. Fourteen percent of children without and 50% of those with CP had hand function abnormalities.
CONCLUSIONS: Late CUS findings and severity of WMA were significantly associated with hand function deficits. Hand function deficits were nearly three times more common than CP and may be a useful marker of early brain insult and predictor of preterm birth effects on development.
