%0 Journal Article 
%A Ruiz González, Estefanía
%A Benavente Fernández, Isabel
%A Lubián Gutiérrez, Manuel
%A Segado Arenas, Antonio
%A Zafra Rodríguez, Pamela
%A Méndez Abad, Paula
%A Lubián López, Simón Pedro
%T Ultrasonographic evaluation of the early brain growth pattern in very low birth weight infants
%D 2023
%@ 1530-0447

%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30377
%X BACKGROUND: Preterm infants develop smaller brain volumes compared to term newborns. Our aim is to study early brain growth related to perinatal factors in very low birth weight infants (VLBWI). METHODS: Manual segmentation of total brain volume (TBV) was performed in weekly 3D-ultrasonographies in our cohort of
VLBWI. We studied the brain growth pattern related to term magnetic resonance image (term-MRI).
RESULTS: We found different brain growth trajectories, with smaller brain volumes and a decrease in brain growth rate in those VLBWI who would later have an abnormal term-MRI (mean TBV 190.68 vs. 213.9 cm3; P = 0.0001 and mean TBV growth rate 14.35 (±1.27) vs. 16.94 (±2.29) cm3/week; P = 0.0001). TBV in those with normal term-MRI was related to gestational age (GA), being small for gestational age (SGA), sex, and duration of parenteral nutrition (TPN) while in those with abnormal term-MRI findings it was related to GA, SGA, TPN, and comorbidities. We found a deceleration in brain growth rate in those with ≥3 comorbidities.
CONCLUSIONS: An altered brain growth pattern in VLBWI who subsequently present worst scores on term-MRI is related to GA, being SGA and comorbidities. Early ultrasonographic monitoring of TBV could be useful to detect deviated patterns of brain growth.
%K pretérmino
%K Ecografía Transfontanelar
%K crecimiento cerebral
%~ Universidad de Cádiz