Abstract
Abstract Objectives: to compare the cognitive performance of schoolchildren born prematurely according to the presence of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) during the neonatal period. Methods: a cross-sectional cohort study of schoolchildren between the ages of 6-8 years old, born prematurely with or without a history of neonatal ICH. Between January and December 2015, some children were followed up at the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital and underwent a cognitive evaluation by using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III) and they were divided into two groups: those with no history of ICH (control group) and those with ICH (case group), confirmed by a transfontanelar ultrasound in the prenatal period. Results: 39 schoolchildren were included, 21 cases and 18 controls. There was no difference in gestational age or chronological age at evaluation between the groups. Also there was no significant difference in subtest scores between the groups. Conclusions: WISC-III evaluated the cognitive performance in children, born preterm, aged 6-8 years old, and had neonatal ICH did not differ from those of their peers without a history of ICH. These findings suggest that, in preterm infants, a neonatal diagnosis of ICH may not be associated with cognitive performance at school age and this should be investigated through a longitudinal study.
Highlights
The consequences of prematurity in children development are recognized as important indicators of impaired cognitive development,[1,2] especially at school age, when academic demands become greater.[3]
The assessment results performed by the WISCIII in examining the intelligence coefficients and to understand the children’s intellectual function in the control and case groups are shown in Tables 2 and 3
Results obtained in the WISC-III subtests of children in the control group (CG) and HG
Summary
The consequences of prematurity in children development are recognized as important indicators of impaired cognitive development,[1,2] especially at school age, when academic demands become greater.[3] Early identification and intervention are needed to take advantage of the greater neuroplasticity observed in the neonatal period.[4]. Among several neonatal complications associated with prematurity, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is often cited in the literature as a predictor of abnormal neurological development and reduced cognitive competence.[6,7,8]. Attributed to immaturity of the germinal matrix, ICH, especially intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), is the leading cerebral complication observed in preterm infants in the first 24–48 hours of life, in those with a birth weight
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