Neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years of age in children born before 29 weeks' gestation with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Introduction: Very preterm children are at a high risk for neurological impairment, especially those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The main goal of this study was to describe the neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 2 years of corrected age in children born before 29 weeks' gestation between 2010 and 2015 and affected by BPD at 28 days of life. We also searched for risk factors associated with NDI, especially postnatal steroid (PNS) administration.

Material And Methods: This was a retrospective study comprising a cohort of children hospitalized at the university hospital in Grenoble, born before 29 weeks' gestation between 2010 and 2015, and included in the monitoring network "Naitre et Devenir" (RND). Infants at 2 years of corrected age were classified as having NDI if they had at least one of the following outcomes: a global developmental quotient (DQ) on the revised Brunet-Lézine scale of<85, blindness, deafness, or cerebral palsy (CP) graded as level 3 or more according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System.

Results: A total of 129 children were included, of whom 99 were monitored at the age of 2 years: 31.3% of the population had NDI and 4% had CP. The median DQ test result was 90 (interquartile 82-97). Factors associated with NDI in univariate analysis were low gestational age, low birth weight, a cord pH<7.2, chorioamnionitis, treatment for persistent ductus arteriosus, longer oxygen therapy, and outborn status, which almost reached statistical significance. In multivariate analysis, low gestational age and outborn status remained statistically significant, while chorioamnionitis was found to have some association with NDI. While 13.1% of the followed-up population was treated with PNS, this risk factor was not associated with NDI.

Conclusion: In a population of very preterm children, one third had NDI at 2 years of corrected age. Low gestational age, outborn status, and perinatal inflammation are associated with this unfavorable outcome. The frequency of sequelae confirms the importance of following up these children.