Prediction in very preterm infants of satisfactory neurodevelopmental progress at 12 months.

This study was performed to find out how well ultrasound brain-scanning and neurological examination of very preterm infants, together and separately, predicted normal neurodevelopmental progress at 12 months corrected age. 111 infants born at less than 33 weeks gestation were scanned at discharge from the neonatal unit, and neurological examinations were performed at a gestation-equivalent age at or near term. During the first year of life repeated neurological and developmental testing was carried out. At 12 months a diagnosis of normal progress or of major or minor neurodevelopmental disorders was made. 56 (50 per cent) infants with both a favourable ultrasound scan and normal neurological findings had a 98 per cent (90 to 99 per cent) probability of normal progress at 12 months, and a 100 per cent (93 to 100 per cent) probability of having no major disorder. Separately, ultrasound scanning and neurological examination were not such good predictors of normal outcome, although they selected larger groups of infants with high probabilities of progressing normally. Ultrasound brain-scanning and neurological examination can be used in combination to identify potentially normal preterm infants when they are discharged to their homes.