Fetal growth and infant neurodevelopmental outcome after preterm premature rupture of membranes.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prognostic values of fetal size before birth and fetal growth during the latency period in patients with preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PROM).


METHODS
A prospective cohort study of 69 singleton pregnancies complicated by prolonged (14 days or more) PROM (24 to 31 weeks of gestation). Measures of fetal size and growth were compared with corresponding expected values from our reference curves. The correlations between deviations from expected measures of fetal size and growth, short-term neonatal complications, and infant neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years were studied by univariate methods and logistic regression.


RESULTS
The mean gestational ages and standard deviations at membrane rupture and at birth were 27.9 +/- 2.4 and 31.5 +/- 2.1 weeks. At a corrected age of 2 years, of the 65 (94.2%) survivors, 3 infants (4.6%) had cerebral palsy, 13 (20%) had minor neurodevelopmental impairment, and 49 (75.4%) were judged to have had normal development. Compared with surviving infants without a major handicap, the group of infants who died and those with cerebral palsy had lower proportions of expected birth weight (0.766 +/- 0.1 as compared with 0.859 +/- 0.13, P =.029), head (0.869 +/- 0.07 as compared with 0.950 +/- 0.07, P =.05), and abdominal (0.793 +/- 0.04 as compared with 0.888 +/- 0.1, P =.001) circumference growth during latency period. In logistic regression analysis, lower-than-expected ultrasound measures of fetal abdominal circumference before birth (odds ratio 1.09; 95% confidence interval 1.01, 1.18) or of abdominal circumference growth during the latency period (odds ratio 1.1; 95% confidence interval 1.01, 1.2) were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of an infant neurodevelopmental abnormality at 2-year follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
In pregnancies complicated by preterm PROM, lower-than-expected measures of fetal size and fetal growth were associated with an increased rate of infant neurodevelopmental outcome at 2-year follow-up.


METHODS
II-2
Spinillo
Arsenio
A
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pavia, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Piazzale Golgi, 27100 Pavia, Italy. spinillo@smatteo.pv.it
Montanari
Laura
L
Sanpaolo
Patrizia
P
Bergante
Carola
C
Chiara
Alberto
A
Fazzi
Elisa
E
D001724:Birth Weight; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D016015:Logistic Models; D009420:Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal