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Updated: May 25, 2026
19:15
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Neurodevelopmental delay in small babies at term: a systematic review
T Arcangeli1, B Thilaganathan, R Hooper
1Fetal Medicine Unit, Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St George's University of London, London, UK.
Summary
Term infants who are small for gestational age (SGA) have lower neurodevelopmental scores compared to appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants. Further research is needed to explore interventions for improving outcomes in these infants.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Medicine
- Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
- Growth Restriction
Background:
- Small for gestational age (SGA) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) are associated with potential neurodevelopmental deficits.
- Understanding the magnitude of these deficits in term infants is crucial for clinical management and intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and quantify the neurodevelopmental outcomes in term infants identified as SGA or FGR.
- To compare neurodevelopmental scores of SGA/FGR infants with those of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) controls.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of scientific databases for studies on neurodevelopment in SGA/FGR infants.
- Inclusion criteria: term births, defined neurodevelopmental scores. Exclusion criteria: preterm births, undefined outcome measures.
- Calculation of effect size using standardized mean difference between SGA/FGR children and controls.
Main Results:
- Analysis of 28 studies involving 7861 SGA and 91,619 AGA infants revealed significantly lower neurodevelopmental scores in SGA infants (0.32 SD below controls).
- Significant heterogeneity was observed among the SGA studies (I² = 68.3%).
- Insufficient data were available to draw conclusions for FGR infants.
Conclusions:
- Term infants born SGA exhibit reduced neurodevelopmental scores compared to their AGA counterparts.
- There is an urgent need for clinical trials investigating interventions to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in term infants with fetal growth restriction.
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