Physical growth and brain MRI predict the neurodevelopmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants at 2-year-old.

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to determine the predictive effect of physical growth and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on neurodevelopmental outcomes in very low birth weight infants (VLBW) infants.

Materials and methods: A total of 85 VLBW infants were included in the current study. They were cared according to the guideline of preterm management during hospitalization, and to planned follow-up rules after discharged strictly. All patients enrolled in the present study had undergone measurement of weight, length and head circumference and reported on the infants' weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), head circumference-for-age Z-score (HCZ), and weight-for-height Z score (WHZ).

Results: At 29.38 ± 1.70 weeks old, the birth weight was 1240.06 ± 249.46g. MDI decreased gradually with the increase of corrective age (p<0.001), and MDI at 18 months of age decreased significantly compared to normal infants and young children of the same age (p<0.05), while at 24 months of age there was no significant difference between MDI and normal peers. Correcting PDI in 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months was significantly lower than that of normal infants and young children of the same age (p<0.05) and did not show a trend that changed with the correction of monthly age. WHZ gradually approaches normal as the age of the month increases (p<0.05), while HCZ decreases gradually with the correction of the age of the month (p<0.05).

Conclusion: VLBW has obvious motor development disorders, and there is no difference between intellectual development and healthy young children. MDI rises early and then gradually declines, eventually becoming 2 years old similar to that of healthy young children. PDI has consistently shown a significant decrease in infants and young children of the same age, and has not shown a trend that changes with the correction of monthly age. There is a great correlation between infancy physical development and long-term neurodevelopment, MRI at 12 months old is a valuable prediction method.