Sleep behaviour in preterm children from birth to age 10 years: a longitudinal study.

Aim: To study clinically relevant aspects of sleep behaviour in preterm children in comparison to term children.

Methods: Longitudinal sleep behaviour data were collected prospectively by structured interviews in 130 preterm and 75 control term children from birth to age 10 y.

Results: No significant differences in sleep duration (time in bed per 24 h), bedsharing, night wakings, bedtime resistance and sleep-onset difficulties were found between preterm and term children.

Neonatal seizures with tonic clonic sequences and poor developmental outcome.

Seizures consisting of a tonic followed by a clonic phase have rarely been described in neonates and are not included in the current classifications of neonatal seizures. Our video archive of 105 neonates with seizures or suspected seizures revealed six neonates with such tonic clonic or tonic myoclonic sequences. Two of those neonates had pyridoxine dependent seizures.

Improved outcome for very low birth weight multiple births.

This study describes time trends for very low birth weight multiple births in relation to very low birth weight singletons. Two cohorts of very low birth weight (less than 1250 gm) children recruited between 1983-85 (cohort 1, n = 115) and 1992-94 (cohort 2, n = 144) were compared. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development and a standardized neurologic examination were administered at 2 years corrected age.

Is exposure to cocaine or cigarette smoke during pregnancy associated with infant visual abnormalities?

The aim of this study was to assess the association between cocaine or cigarette smoke exposure in utero and visual outcome. A total of 153 healthy infants (89 males, 64 females; gestational age range 34 to 42 weeks) were prospectively enrolled in a masked, race-matched study. Quantitative analyses of urine and meconium were used to document exposure to cigarette smoke and cocaine.

Postnatal growth in VLBW infants: significant association with neurodevelopmental outcome.

Objective: To study the significance of growth status at birth and postnatal growth on neurodevelopmental outcome in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

Study Design: Growth and neurodevelopment were examined in 219 VLBW (<1250 g) children, 94 small for gestational age (SGA) (<10th percentile) and 125 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) (>10th percentile). Outcome at age 2 was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (Mental Developmental Index [MDI], Psychomotor Developmental Index [PDI]) and a standardized neurologic examination.