Modeling analysis of change in neurologic abnormalities in children born prematurely: A novel approach

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to evaluate changes in neurologi c abnormalities in 212 preterm and 128 fullterm children. Preterm infants w ith severe medical complications were considered at high risk, while those with milder complications were considered at low risk for neurodevelopmenta l abnormality. The patterns of change in neurologic status for the high and low-risk preterm and term groups across 6, 12, 24, 40, and 54 months of ag e were compared using growth modeling analysis. As expected, the term group showed minimal change, while the two preterm groups demonstrated complex, nonlinear patterns of change in neurologic abnormalities. While the results demonstrate improvement over time in both groups of preterm infants, 35% o f the children in the high-risk group had neurologic scores in the borderli ne or abnormal range at 54 months. These findings demonstrate that neurolog ic deficits are still evident at preschool age in some preterm children and that these deficits are related to the severity of neonatal complications.