Gabriella Di Rosa1, Tiziana Cavallaro2, Angela Alibrandi3, Lucia Marseglia4, Marco Lamberti5, Elisa Giaimo2, Antonio Nicotera2, Maria Bonsignore2, Antonella Gagliano2. 1. Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy. Electronic address: gdirosa@unime.it. 2. Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy. 3. Department of Economical, Business and Environmental Sciences and Quantitative Methods, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. 4. Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age, Unit of Neonatal Intensive Care, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy. 5. Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age, Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy; Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Developmental milestones are useful signposts developed to assess the pace and the trajectory of maturation occurring during specific time-windows called critical periods. The predictive role of their clinical assessment in premature infants is challenging, however, it actually represents an easy and reliable tool at follow-up. AIM AND STUDY DESIGN: Relying on a milestone-based neurological examination, we aimed to detect the interdependence between time of achievement of each milestone with long-term neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The influence of pre-perinatal events was also considered. PATIENTS & METHODS: Two-hundred-eighty patients (53.2% M) were serially assessed by classic neurological examination during the first 18months and subsequently evaluated by Griffiths Developmental Mental Scale. Children were sorted by ranges of gestational age and compared according to their different profiles. RESULTS: The Extremely PreTerms appeared to have a globally delayed development with subsequent attentional and behavioral troubles. Differently, the older peers, from Moderately to Full Term ones, although did not show significant differences in achievement of gross motor skills, had a stable delay of visual and social skills across the age ranges. This gap was not evidenced at the long-term evaluation, except for the Extremely PreTerm children. Pre-perinatal factors played a significant role on short and long term neurodevelopmental outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Early assessed classic neurological examination might address neurodevelopmental trajectories in PreTerm children in which visual and social skills appear to be the mostly affected. It remains the easiest and most reliable tool of evaluation throughout the follow-up programs.
BACKGROUND: Developmental milestones are useful signposts developed to assess the pace and the trajectory of maturation occurring during specific time-windows called critical periods. The predictive role of their clinical assessment in premature infants is challenging, however, it actually represents an easy and reliable tool at follow-up. AIM AND STUDY DESIGN: Relying on a milestone-based neurological examination, we aimed to detect the interdependence between time of achievement of each milestone with long-term neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The influence of pre-perinatal events was also considered. PATIENTS & METHODS: Two-hundred-eighty patients (53.2% M) were serially assessed by classic neurological examination during the first 18months and subsequently evaluated by Griffiths Developmental Mental Scale. Children were sorted by ranges of gestational age and compared according to their different profiles. RESULTS: The Extremely PreTerms appeared to have a globally delayed development with subsequent attentional and behavioral troubles. Differently, the older peers, from Moderately to Full Term ones, although did not show significant differences in achievement of gross motor skills, had a stable delay of visual and social skills across the age ranges. This gap was not evidenced at the long-term evaluation, except for the Extremely PreTerm children. Pre-perinatal factors played a significant role on short and long term neurodevelopmental outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Early assessed classic neurological examination might address neurodevelopmental trajectories in PreTerm children in which visual and social skills appear to be the mostly affected. It remains the easiest and most reliable tool of evaluation throughout the follow-up programs.
Authors: U Tacke; H Weigand-Brunnhölzl; A Hilgendorff; R M Giese; A W Flemmer; H König; B Warken-Madelung; M Arens; N Hesse; A S Schroeder Journal: Nervenarzt Date: 2017-12 Impact factor: 1.214
Authors: Nienke H van Dokkum; Sijmen A Reijneveld; Martijn W Heymans; Arend F Bos; Marlou L A de Kroon Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-11-11 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Daniela Dicanio; Giulia Spoto; Angela Alibrandi; Roberta Minutoli; Antonio Gennaro Nicotera; Gabriella Di Rosa Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2022-09-27 Impact factor: 4.086