Neurologic examination of preterm infants at term age: comparison with term infants.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to establish the range of neurologic findings in preterm infants reaching term age, their relation to gestational age at birth, and the possible differences with healthy term newborns tested during the first days of life.


METHODS
The Dubowitz neonatal neurologic examination was performed at term age in 157 low-risk preterm infants born between 25 and 34 weeks' gestation who had cranial ultrasonograms that were normal or showed minor abnormalities. Infants were subdivided in 3 groups according to their gestational age at birth.


RESULTS
Within the preterm cohort, the range of scores for the 3 gestational age subgroups was different from each other for 21 of the 34 items, although the median scores were different only in 10 of the 34 items. The range of scores and their median in preterm infants however was wider than that found in term infants. Preterm infants examined at term were also more hyperexcitable and tended to have less flexor tone in the limbs and less extensor tone in the neck in the sitting posture.


CONCLUSIONS
The distribution of scores provides useful guidelines when a preterm infant is examined at term.
Mercuri
Eugenio
E
Department of Pediatrics, Hammersmith Campus, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, and Jessop Women's Hospital, Sheffield, United Kingdom. e.mercuri@ic.ac.uk
Guzzetta
Andrea
A
Laroche
Sabrina
S
Ricci
Daniela
D
vanhaastert
IngeLot
I
Simpson
Anna
A
Luciano
Rita
R
Bleakley
Caroline
C
Frisone
Maria F
MF
Haataja
Leena
L
Tortorolo
Giuseppe
G
Guzzetta
Franco
F
de Vries
Linda
L
Cowan
Frances
F
Dubowitz
Lilly
L
D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination