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Poor repertoire General Movements predict some aspects of development outcome at 2 years in very preterm infants

Elisa Beccaria1, Manuela Martino, Eleonora Briatore

  • 1Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, S. Croce and Carle Hospital, Cuneo, Italy. beccaria.e@ospedale.cuneo.it

Early Human Development
|November 3, 2011
PubMed

Insights

A poor repertoire (PR) pattern in preterm infants at 1 month post-term may predict lower neurodevelopmental scores by age 2. This pattern particularly impacts eye and hand coordination, suggesting early assessment value.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal neurology
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Movement assessment

Background:

  • General Movements (GM) assessment is a sensitive tool for evaluating fragile neonates.
  • Absence of fidgety movements at 2-4 months post-term predicts Cerebral Palsy.
  • A poor repertoire (PR) pattern during infancy is not reliably predictive of later motor or neurodevelopmental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if a PR pattern observed at 1 month post-term is associated with diminished neurodevelopmental quotients at 2 years of age.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 79 very preterm infants (gestational age ≤32 weeks or birth weight ≤1500 g) underwent General Movements evaluation at 1 and 3 months.
  • The Griffiths Scales of Mental Development were administered at 2 years to assess neurodevelopmental quotients.
  • Infants were categorized into 'poor repertoire pattern' and 'normal pattern' groups for comparative analysis using statistical tests.

Main Results:

  • Infants in the PR group exhibited significantly lower Gestational Age, Birth Weight, and Apgar scores at birth.
  • The PR group demonstrated lower overall Developmental Quotients at 2 years, with the Eye and Hand Coordination domain (subscale D) being most affected.
  • Fidgety movement quality at 3 months showed no correlation with 2-year neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • A PR pattern at 1 month post-term appears to be a predictor of lower neurodevelopmental scores at 2 years, particularly affecting fine motor skills.
  • Further longitudinal follow-up is warranted to determine the persistence of these developmental differences into later childhood.
Abstract

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