title: Associations between regional brain volumes at term-equivalent age and development at 2 years of age in preterm children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Altered brain volumes and associations between volumes and developmental outcomes have been reported in prematurely born children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess which regional brain volumes are different in very low birth weight (VLBW) children without neurodevelopmental impairments ([NDI] cerebral palsy, hearing loss, blindness and significantly delayed cognitive performance) compared with VLBW children with NDI, and to evaluate the association between regional brain volumes at term-equivalent age and cognitive development and neurological performance at a corrected age of 2 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of a regional cohort of 164 VLBW children, divided into one group of children without NDI (n = 148) and one group of children with NDI (n = 16). Brain (MRI) was performed at term-equivalent age, from which brain volumes were manually analysed. Cognitive development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID-II), and neurological performance with the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination at the corrected age of 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The volumes of total brain tissue, cerebrum, frontal lobes, basal ganglia and thalami, and cerebellum were significantly smaller, and the volume of the ventricles significantly larger, in the children with NDI than in those without NDI. Even in children without NDI, a smaller cerebellar volume was significantly correlated with poor neurological performance at 2 years of corrected age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Volumetric analysis at brain MRI can provide an additional parameter for early prediction of outcome in VLBW children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parkkola
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: Petriina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Munck
authors.forename: Jonna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maunu
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lapinleimu
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haataja
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000473:pathology*; D004453:Echoencephalography; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests