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Motor asymmetries in preterm infants at 18 weeks corrected age and outcomes at 1 year
L de Groot1, B Hopkins, B Touwen
1Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Motor asymmetries in preterm infants may stem from persistent trunk muscle power. This asymmetry at 18 weeks predicted later motor function, offering prognostic insights for infant development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Motor and postural asymmetries are common in preterm infants but challenging to interpret diagnostically.
- Central origin asymmetries may be indicated by persistent infantile reactions beyond typical developmental timelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if motor asymmetries in low-risk preterm infants are linked to persistent active trunk muscle power.
- To determine the predictive value of early motor asymmetries for later functional outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Compared 34 preterm infants (low neurological risk) with 17 full-term infants at 18 weeks corrected age.
- Assessed for motor asymmetries and degree of active muscle power in the trunk.
- Correlated early findings with motor function at 52 weeks corrected age.
Main Results:
- Full-term infants showed no motor asymmetries; preterm infants exhibited significant asymmetries, especially those small for gestational age.
- A strong relationship was found between motor asymmetries and high trunk muscle power in preterm infants.
- Asymmetrical muscle power at 18 weeks predicted asymmetrical locomotor, hand, and eye functions at 52 weeks.
Conclusions:
- Persistent active trunk muscle power may contribute to motor asymmetries in preterm infants.
- Early motor asymmetries and muscle power at 18 weeks are valuable predictors of later functional development in preterm infants.
Abstract:
Persisting asymmetries in the motility and posture of preterm infants after term age is a common finding, but their diagnostic and prognostic significance has proved to be difficult to interpret. It has been claimed that if an asymmetry is of central origin, then it should be most prominently detectable in infantile reactions that persist beyond the age when they should have disappeared. We hypothesis that motor asymmetries in preterm infants without a major risk for neurological problems may stem from a high degree of active muscle power in the trunk that continues to be present after 12 weeks corrected age. In order to test this hypothesis, 34 preterm infants with a low risk for neurological complications were compared to a group of 17 fullterm infants at 18 weeks of (corrected) age for the presence or absence of motor asymmetries. None of the full-term infants showed asymmetrical motor behaviour, while within the preterm group a significant number did, in particular those who were small for gestational age. A significant relationship between motor asymmetries and a high degree of muscle power in the trunk at this age was found in the preterm group. Asymmetrical active muscle power at 18 weeks had a good predictive value for asymmetrical locomotor, hand and eye functions at 52 weeks.