DIAGNOSTIC AND PREDICTIVE VALUE OF AUDITORY-EVOKED RESPONSES IN PRETERM INFANTS .1. PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS AND LONG-TERM NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME

The diagnostic and predictive value of brainstem, middle latency, and cortical auditory evoked responses, obtained in the neonatal period, i n 81 preterm infants was assessed in relation to neurodevelopmental ou tcome. Eighteen healthy term infants served as a control group. In thi s report the patient characteristics and neurodevelopmental outcome ar e presented. The preterm infants were neonatally classified according to risk category and gestational age. At 5 y of age the neurodevelopme ntal outcome was assessed based on neurologic and neuropsychologic eva luations. The neuropsychologic test results showed the highest IQ scor es in term infants, intermediate IQ scores in low risk preterm infants , and lowest IQ scores in high risk preterm infants. The intermediate IQ scores in the low risk preterm group were due to significantly lowe r test scores in a small subgroup of low risk preterm infants. In a po st hoc analysis 12 low risk preterm infants with an unfavorable outcom e could be identified. The neuropsychologic test results of the remain ing low risk infants showed no clear differences compared with the ter m infants. The results suggest that the unfavorable outcome of the low risk preterm group as a whole is due to moderate to severe impairment of the few, rather than slight impairment of the majority.