Perinatal Growth Retardation in Preterm Infants

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Abstract
Perinatal and 4-year follow-up data were analysed for 137 children born after 26 to 35 weeks of gestation. All were free of severe prenatal or neonatal illness and of major handicaps. Infants who were light-for-gestation at birth were approximately 0.6 SDS smaller at 4 years than the appropriate-for-gestation infants as regards height, weight, and head circumference (p < 0.005). The McCarthy general cognitive score was reduced (p = 0.03). Motor scores, standardised for cognitive function, were also reduced (p = 0.02) indicating that motor.sbd.perhaps cerebellar.sbd.function is particularly vulnerable to perinatal growth retardation.