Relation between visual perceptual impairment and neonatal ultrasound diagnosis of haemorrhagic - ischaemic brain lesions in 5-year-old children

Visual-perceptual abilities were assessed in 5-year-old children with the f ollowing neonatal neurological conditions: born preterm with normal ultraso und scan (NL, n = 17); born preterm with ultrasound diagnosis of intraventr icular haemorrhage (IVH, n=17); born preterm with ultrasound diagnosis of p eriventricular leukomalacia (PVL, n=12); born term with hypoxic-ischaemic e ncephalopathy (HIE, n=11). Visual-perceptual ability was evaluated with the L94: eight visual-perceptual tasks designed to evaluate different aspects of visual perception at the preschool level in children with multiple disab ilities. Impairment was established in comparison to the performance age ob tained on non-verbal intelligence subtests, instead of chronological age. F requency of L94 impairment was highest in children with PVL, while children with IVH did not differ from the NL control group. Impairment rates were i ncreased also in children with transient periventricular echodensities, and in children with HIE. Impairments were only moderately related to the dela y of visual acuity maturation in infancy.