MOTOR ASYMMETRIES IN PRETERM INFANTS AT 18 WEEKS CORRECTED AGE AND OUTCOMES AT 1 YEAR

Persisting asyymmetries in the motility and posture of preterm infants after term age is a common finding, but their diagnostic and prognost ic significance has proved to be difficult to interpret. It has been c laimed that if an asymmetry is of central origin, then it should be mo st prominently detectable in infantile reactions that persist beyond t he age when they should have disappeared. We hypothesise that motor as ymmetries in preterm infants without a major risk for neurological pro blems may stem from a high degree of active muscle power in the trunk that continues to be present after 12 weeks corrected age. In order to test this hypothesis, 34 preterm infants with a low risk for neurolog ical complications were compared to a group of 17 fullterm infants at 18 weeks of (corrected) age for the presence or absence of motor asymm etries. None of the full-term infants showed asymmetrical motor behavi our, while within the preterm group a significant number did, in parti cular those who were small for gestational age. A significant relation ship between motor asymmetries and a high degree of muscle power in th e trunk at this age was found in the preterm group. Asymmetrical activ e muscle power at 18 weeks had a good predictive value for asymmetrica l locomotor, hand and eye functions at 52 weeks. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sci ence Ireland Ltd.