Erythropoietin improves neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely preterm infants.

Objective: Erythropoietin has been reported to possess neuroprotective properties in animal studies. No previous studies have investigated the neurodevelopmental outcome of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (rEpo) and evaluated it at school age.

Methods: Of 200 ELBW infants treated from 1993 to 1998, 171 (86%) survived, and 148 (87%) were followed up to the age of 10 to 13 years.

Neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely low birth weight infants: what is the minimum age for reliable developmental prognosis?

Aim: We present a longitudinal study on the neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants with extremely low birth weight <1000 g (ELBW) to answer the question at which age a developmental prognosis can be given.

Methods: A group of 129 ELBW, median birth weight: 794 g (SD 123 g), gestational age: 27.0 weeks (SD 2.