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Perinatal complications and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of infants with intrauterine growth restriction
Anne-Karen von Beckerath1, Martina Kollmann, Christa Rotky-Fast
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Insights
Infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) face significantly higher risks of mortality, perinatal issues, and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment compared to constitutionally small for gestational age (SGA) infants.
Area of Science:
- Perinatology
- Neonatology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and being small for gestational age (SGA) are distinct fetal conditions.
- Understanding their differential outcomes is crucial for clinical management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare perinatal and long-term complications between fetuses with IUGR and SGA.
- To identify specific risks associated with each condition.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of infants born between 2003-2009 at Medical University Graz.
- Group assignment based on birthweight, Doppler ultrasound, and placental morphology.
- Primary outcome: neurodevelopmental delay at 2 years corrected age; Secondary outcomes: perinatal complications.
Main Results:
- IUGR infants were delivered earlier (35 vs 38 weeks) and had higher mortality rates (8% vs 1%).
- IUGR group showed significantly increased perinatal complications (24.4% vs 1.0%) and neurodevelopmental impairment (24.7% vs 5.6%).
- IUGR was also associated with a higher risk of long-term growth delay (21.2% vs 7.4%).
Conclusions:
- Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with substantially worse short-term and long-term outcomes than being small for gestational age (SGA).
- These findings underscore the importance of differentiating IUGR from SGA for appropriate clinical surveillance and intervention.
Objective:
The objective of the study was to evaluate perinatal and long-term complications of fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) compared with constitutionally small for gestational age (SGA) ones.
Study Design:
The outcome of infants with IUGR and SGA born at the Medical University Graz (Austria) between 2003 and 2009 was retrospectively analyzed. Group assignment was based on birthweight, Doppler ultrasound, and placental morphology. The primary outcome was neurodevelopmental delay at 2 years corrected age. The secondary outcomes were perinatal complications.
Results:
We included 219 IUGR and 299 SGA infants for perinatal and 146 and 215 for long-term analysis. Fetuses with IUGR were delivered earlier (35 vs 38 weeks) and had higher rates of mortality (8% vs 1%; odds ratio [OR], 8.3) as well as perinatal complications (24.4% vs 1.0%; OR, 31.6). The long-term outcome was affected by increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairment (24.7% vs 5.6%; OR, 5.5) and growth delay (21.2% vs 7.4%; OR, 3.4).
Conclusion:
IUGR infants are subject to an increased risk for adverse short- and long-term outcome compared with SGA children.
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