[The prognosis for high-risk newborns]

By good perinatal care the perinatal mortality rate can be brought down to 10 promille. A great number of high risk newborns will survive. The developmental prognosis of these at risk babies has strikingly improved. Among these babies the rate of neuromotor defects has been reduced by about 50%. Babies with birth weights of less than 1501 g will develop spastic diplegia in less than 5% and more than 80% of the babies with birth weights of less than 1001 g and the babies after artificial ventilation will develop normally.