title: A New Ultrasound Marker for Bedside Monitoring of Preterm Brain Growth.
abstract: Preterm neonates are at risk for neurodevelopmental impairment, but reliable, bedside-available markers to monitor preterm brain growth during hospital stay are still lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of corpus callosum-fastigium length as a new cranial sonography marker for monitoring of preterm brain growth.
  
  
  
  In this longitudinal prospective cohort study, cranial ultrasound was planned on the day of birth, days 1, 2, 3, and 7 of life; and then weekly until discharge in preterm infants born before 29 weeks of gestational age. Reproducibility and associations between clinical variables and corpus callosum-fastigium growth trajectories were studied.
  
  
  
  A series of 1-8 cranial ultrasounds was performed in 140 infants (median gestational age at birth, 27(+2) weeks (interquartile range, 26(+1) to 28(+1); 57.9% male infants). Corpus callosum-fastigium measurements showed good-to-excellent agreement for inter- and intraobserver reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.89). Growth charts for preterm infants between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation were developed. Male sex and birth weight SD score were positively associated with corpus callosum-fastigium growth rate.
  
  
  
  Corpus callosum-fastigium length measurement is a new reproducible marker applicable for bedside monitoring of preterm brain growth during neonatal intensive care stay.
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.) Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (J.A.R., I.V.K., S.P.W., R.P.M.S.-T.).
authors.forename: J A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6110-9398
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Roelants
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (J.A.R., I.V.K., S.P.W., R.P.M.S.-T.).
authors.forename: I V
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1626-089X
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.).
authors.forename: M M A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5534-7728
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Raets
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (J.A.R., I.V.K., S.P.W., R.P.M.S.-T.) Biostatistics (S.P.W.), Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: S P
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1675-2931
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Willemsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology (M.H.L.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: M H
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7671-9191
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lequin
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (J.A.R., I.V.K., S.P.W., R.P.M.S.-T.).
authors.forename: R P M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4353-5756
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Steegers-Theunissen
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.).
authors.forename: I K M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9474-6895
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Reiss
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.).
authors.forename: M J
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9686-8186
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.).
authors.forename: P
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6819-7343
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Govaert
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Neonatology (J.A.R., M.M.A.R., I.K.M.R., M.J.V., P.G., J.D.) Department of Radiology (J.D.) Intensive Care Unit (J.D.), Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands j.dudink@erasmusmc.nl.
authors.forename: J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0446-3646
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dudink
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods*