TRANSIENT DYSTONIA IN NONHANDICAPPED LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT INFANTS AND LATER NEURODEVELOPMENT

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term prognostic significance of transient increase in muscle tone during infancy (dyst onia) in very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants without cerebral palsy. M otor (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales), cognitive (Wechsler Prescho ol and Primary Scale of Intelligence) and behavioural (Personality Inv entory for Children, Yale Children's Inventory) development was assess ed at 5 years of age. In a population-based sample of 50 VLBW children , transient dystonia was present in 14. In explorative analyses, trans ient dystonia was associated with low 1 min Apgar scores, neonatal bac terial infection, and lack of breast-milk in the neonatal period. Cogn itive, neuromotor and behavioural development at 5 years of age was co mparable in those with and without transient dystonia, although there was a statistically non-significant tendency towards more neuromotor p roblems in the dystonic children.