title: Movement assessment of infants as a predictor of one year neuromotor outcome in very low birth weight infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To predict neuromotor outcome in Very Low Birth Weight infants at 1 year using Movement Assessment of Infants scale at 4 and 8 months of corrected age.
  
  
  METHODS
  This hospital based prospective observational study consecutively recruited 45 infants with birth weight ≤ 1,500 g and admitted to neonatal intensive care unit. The infants were evaluated at 4 and 8 months of corrected age using Movement Assessment of Infants scale and then a follow up evaluation was done at 1 year of corrected age with a neuropschycological tool, Bayley Scale of Infant Development-II and psychomotor development index was calculated to identify the neuromotor outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For predicting neuromotor outcome on the Bayleys motor scale at 1 year, the sensitivity of Movement Assessment of Infants for 4-month was 70%, specificity 83.3%, positive predictive value 58.3% and negative predictive value was 89.3% for risk points ≥ 10. The sensitivity of Movement Assessment of Infants for 8-month was 80%, specificity 93.3%, positive predictive value 80% and negative predictive value was 93.3% for risk points ≥ 10 .The correlations of the Movement Assessment of Infants total risk scores and categorical risk scores for muscle tone, primitive reflex, automatic reactions and volitional movement at 4 and 8 months with Bayley motor scale at 1 year were highly significant (p < 0.0000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Movement Assessment of Infants is an effective clinical tool to identify neuromotor abnormalities, as the best predictive values for neuromotor outcome at 1 year in Very Low Birth Weight infants were obtained at 8-months and the 4-month Movement Assessment of Infants had high specificity and acceptable sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Physiotherapy, KLE University's Institute of Physiotherapy, Nehru Nagar, Belgaum, Karnataka, India. drdeepa_metgud@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Deepa Chanbasappa
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Metgud
authors.forename: Vishwanath Dundappa
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Sangappa Mallappa
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dhaded
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity