Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
[Physical growth and neurodevelopment of preterm infants at the corrected age of 18-24 months]
Zi-Yi Zhang1, Wan-Xiang Xiao1, Li-Ya Ma1
1Department of Child Health Care, Shenzhen Bao'an Women's and Children's Hospital, Jinan University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518100, China.
Insights
Preterm infants show catch-up physical growth by 18-24 months corrected age but have lower neurodevelopmental outcomes. Infants born before 32 weeks require vigilant neurodevelopmental monitoring and early intervention.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Pediatric growth studies
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes
Context:
- Preterm infants face risks for altered physical growth and neurodevelopment.
- Post-discharge follow-up is crucial for monitoring preterm infant development.
- Understanding long-term outcomes informs clinical practice and support.
Purpose:
- To assess physical growth and neurodevelopment in preterm infants at 18-24 months corrected age.
- To compare outcomes between preterm infants (categorized by gestational age) and full-term controls.
- To identify specific developmental domains affected by preterm birth.
Summary:
- Preterm infants achieved comparable physical growth to full-term infants by 18-24 months corrected age, with moderate preterm infants showing higher length-for-age Z-scores.
- All preterm groups exhibited lower overall neurodevelopmental quotients (DQ) compared to full-term controls.
- Extremely and very preterm infants, particularly those born before 32 weeks, showed significantly lower DQs in most domains and a higher incidence of global developmental delay.
Impact:
- Preterm infants may achieve physical catch-up but often lag in neurodevelopmental milestones.
- Gestational age is a critical factor influencing neurodevelopmental trajectories.
- Early and targeted neurodevelopmental interventions are essential for preterm infants, especially those born extremely preterm (<32 weeks).
Objectives:
To investigate the levels of physical growth and neurodevelopment in preterm infants at the corrected age of 18-24 months.
Methods:
The physical growth data and neurodevelopment data of 484 preterm infants at corrected age of 18-24 months were prospectively collected by a post-discharge follow-up system for preterm infants. The infants were regularly followed up in Shenzhen Bao'an Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University from April 2018 to December 2021. The neurodevelopment was evaluated by the Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016. A total of 219 full-term infants served as controls. The infants were divided into groups (extremely preterm, very preterm, moderate late preterm, and full-term) based on gestational age, and the groups were compared in the levels of physical growth and neurodevelopment.
Results:
Except that the moderate preterm group had a higher length-for-age Z-score than the full-term group (P=0.038), there was no significant difference in physical growth indicators between the preterm groups and the full-term group (P>0.05). Each preterm group had a significantly lower total developmental quotient (DQ) than the full-term group (P<0.05). Except for the social behavior domain, the DQ of other domains in the extremely preterm and very preterm groups was significantly lower than that in the full-term group (P<0.05). The <32 weeks preterm group had a significantly higher incidence rate of global developmental delay than the full-term group (16.7% vs 6.4%, P=0.012), and the incidence rate of global developmental delay tended to increase with the reduction in gestational age (P=0.026).
Conclusions:
Preterm infants can catch up with full-term infants in terms of physical growth at the corrected age of 18-24 months, but with a lower neurodevelopmental level than full-term infants. Neurodevelopment monitoring and early intervention should be taken seriously for preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Nature and Nurture
01:21The Nativist Approach