Early cranial ultrasound changes as predictors of outcome during first year of life in term infants with perinatal asphyxia.

Objectives: To identify the types of early cranial ultrasound changes that were significant predictors of adverse outcome during the first year of life in asphyxiated term infants.

Methodology: This was a prospective cohort study. Shortly after birth, cranial ultrasonography was carried out via the anterior fontanelles of 70 normal control infants and 104 asphyxiated infants with a history of fetal distress and Apgar scores of less than 6 at 1 and 5 min of life, or requiring endotracheal intubation and manual intermittent positive pressure ventilation for at least 5 min after birth.

Relationship between head growth and neurodevelopmental outcome of Malaysian very low birthweight infants during the 1st year of life.

A prospective study was carried out to (i) compare head growth patterns of 103 very low birthweight (VLBW, < 1500 g) Malaysian infants and 98 normal birthweight (NBW, 2500- < 4500 g) controls during the 1st year of life; and (ii) examine the relationship between neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year of age and occipito-frontal head circumferences (OFC) at birth and at 1 year of age in VLBW babies. When compared with those of NBW infants at birth, mid-infancy and 1 year of age, the mean OFC ratios (observed/expected OFC at 50th percentile) of VLBW infants were significantly lower (p < 0.001).

Neurodevelopmental outcome of Malaysian very low birth weight infants: predictive value of cranial ultrasound appearances.

The aim of the study was to determine the predictive value of cranial ultrasound scans done in the neonatal period for neurodevelopmental outcome of the Malaysian very low birthweight (VLBW, < 1500 grams) infants assessed at 12 months of corrected age. Of the 101 infants studied, 68 (67.3%) were neurodevelopmentally normal at one year of age, 18 (17.

Comparison of morbidities in very low birthweight and normal birthweight infants during the first year of life in a developing country.

Objective: To compare the morbidities in the very low birthweight (VLBW; < 1500 g) and normal birthweight (NBW; > or = 2500 g) Malaysian infants during the first year of life.

Methodology: Prospective observational cohort study of consecutive surviving VLBW infants and randomly sampled NBW infants born in the Kuala Lumpur Maternity Hospital between 1 December 1989 and 31 December 1992. Infants were followed up regularly during the first year of life, after correction for prematurity.