title: Histological chorioamnionitis and neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to examine the neurodevelopmental outcome at 30 to 42 months corrected age of preterm infants with histological chorioamnionitis (HCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study design is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective follow-up. All surviving infants with birth gestational age <29 weeks, born between 2000 and 2006, who had a neurodevelopmental assessment at 30 to 42 months corrected age were included. We compared the neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants with or without HCA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 384 infants, 197 (51%) were born to mothers with evidence of HCA. Infants with HCA were of lower gestational age (26 weeks vs 26.6 weeks) and more likely to have intraventricular hemorrhage (27.9% vs 14.4%), periventricular leukomalacia (2.5% vs 0%) and retinopathy of prematurity ≥ stage 3 (31.4% vs 22.4%). On univariate analysis, infants with HCA were more likely to have cerebral palsy (12.6% vs 6.4%, P=0.04). There was no significant difference in the incidence of cognitive delay, deafness, blindness, or total major disabilities between the two groups. After adjusting for perinatal variables, HCA was associated with increased risk of cerebral palsy (odds ratio (OR): 2.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11 to 5.40), but not for total major disabilities (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.64 to 2.34). There was a trend towards increased risk of cerebral palsy with HCA with funisitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCA is associated with increased risk of cerebral palsy at 30 to 42 months corrected age in preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute for Child and Maternal Health, Calgary, AB, Canada. asoraish@ucalgary.ca
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Soraisham
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trevenen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauve
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D001766:Blindness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors