NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME OF PRETERM INFANTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA

The neurodevelopmental outcome of 78 infants with bronchopulmonary dys plasia (BPD) was compared with that of 78 control infants matched for birthweight. To determine the effect of the severity of BPD, 62 infant s requiring oxygen at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (sBPD) were compared with their matched controls. Infants were followed up to 2 years of a ge, corrected for prematurity, and were classified for neurological im pairment, developmental delay, and neurodevelopmental disability. Seve nty six (98%) BPD infants and 71 (91%) controls had follow up data ava ilable to two years. Neurological impairment, developmental delay, and neurodevelopmental disability occurred more frequently in infants wit h BPD than in controls but this was not significant. For infants with sBPD, the increased incidence of neurological impairment and definite developmental delay was not significant when compared with the control s, though neurodevelopmental disability occurred more frequently (odds ratio (OR) 3.6: 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.1-11.8). Predictors o f disability in infants with sBPD included periventricular haemorrhage (OR 19.4: 95% CI 4.3-86.6), ventricular dilatation (OR 12.8: 95% CI 2 .9-57.3), and sepsis (OR 5.0: 95% CI 1.3-19.4). Adjusting for the pres ence of these factors, the association between BPD and disability was no longer apparent (OR 0.9: 95% CI 0.2-3.6). The findings suggest that BPD is not independently associated with adverse neurodevelopmental o utcome.