COMPARATIVE ESTIMATES OF NEONATAL GESTATIONAL MATURITY BY ELECTROGRAPHIC AND FETAL ULTRASONOGRAPHIC CRITERIA

We previously reported a high correlation between electrographic and p ostmortem neuroanatomic (i.e., sulcal-gyral) estimates of maturity in sick preterm neonates who were clinically abnormal because of neonatal medical illnesses. Electroencephalographic studies have not yet been compared with ultrasonographic measurements in healthy fetuses who sub sequently had normal neurodevelopmental outcome. Twenty-five EEG recor dings on healthy neonates (28-43 weeks postconceptional age) had EEG e stimates of gestational maturity without knowledge of obstetric, neona tal, or ultrasonographic criteria. Thirteen recordings from this cohor t were obtained on very premature neonates (i.e., <32 weeks estimated gestational age). Fetal ultrasonographic determinations of gestational maturity for these 13 subjects were also obtained prior to birth. Ult rasonographic estimates were assigned without knowledge of other clini cal data. Gestational age estimates based on electroencephalographic a nalyses were compared with 5 ultrasonographic estimates of gestational age maturity using multivariate regression (i.e., biparietal diameter , abdominal circumference, femur length, transcerebellar diameter, and head circumference), as well as the mother's last menstrual period. N o significant differences were detected between the electrographic and obstetric/ultrasonographic estimates of gestational maturity. An elec troencephalographer's assessment of gestational age is as accurate as the fetal ultrasonographic estimates in the asymptomatic preterm neona te whose gestational age is <32 weeks at birth.