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OBJECTIVE: To determine the neurodevelopmental status for 5-year-old survivors with birth weights (BW) <801 gm born in the 1980s and to assess differences in outcome for those born from 1986 to 1989 compared with those born from 1983 to 1985. STUDY DESIGN: This investigation was a longitudinal follow-up of all infants with BW from 450 to 800 gm born at one of two hospitals in Kansas City, Mo., between January 1983 and December 1989. Medical records were reviewed at discharge to determine obstetric and neonatal interventions and complications. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed by a multidisciplinary evaluation at 60 +/- 3 months old. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors statistically associated with survival and long-term outcome. RESULTS: The percentage of infants surviving to hospital discharge was not different between periods. From 1986 to 1989, there were more infants with BW <601 gm and <26 weeks' gestational age. Survival was greater for gestational age categories > or = 24 weeks. BW, gestational age, female gender (p < 0.0001), and birth era (p < 0.01) were each independently significantly associated with improved survival. At 5 years of age, there were no significant outcome differences between birth era cohorts. Overall, approximately 21% of infants had severe disabilities. Long-term outcome was significantly influenced by the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage and socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: For infants with BW <801 gm, survival of infants > or = 24 weeks' gestational age was greater in 1986 to 1989 compared with 1983 to 1985, although the 5-year neurodevelopmental outcome was not different between groups. The significant impact of social risk status on outcome suggests that factors outside the intensive care nursery must be addressed to improve long-term outcome.

Anthropometric measurements of infants weighing < 801 gm were monitored to evaluate growth patterns from birth to 36 months chronologic age, using both standard growth percentiles and Z score descriptors. Mean gestational age was 25.8 weeks, and birth weight was 708.4 gm. The infants had growth delay at hospital discharge with some catch-up growth occurring in the first year. Discrete changes in body growth using the Z score as a descriptor showed movement from a negative SD at 12 months toward the reference mean of zero at 36 months. However, mean length remained < 5th percentile, and mean weight was at approximately the 10th percentile for chronologic age. At 36 months 45% of infants had a head circumference smaller than the 5th percentile for chronologic age. Birth weight < 701 gm was a significant predictor of smaller occipital-frontal circumference at 3 years (p = 0.03). Interruption of intrauterine growth after extremely premature birth appears to have long-term effects on growth outcome much like prenatal growth retardation.

The incidence and severity of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) were determined in a group of surviving infants with birthweights less than 801 g born during the period of 1983 through 1985. Neurodevelopmental status was assessed at 2 and 3 years of age to determine the relationship between neonatal ICH and later outcome in these infants. Forty-four of 77 neonatal survivors (57%) had ICH. Infants with ICH were less mature than those without (25.7 weeks' vs 26.5 weeks' gestation, P less than .05). There were no other perinatal factors that significantly differed between groups. At both 2 and 3 years of age, there were no significant differences between groups of infants with no or mild ICH and those with severe ICH regarding frequency of developmental delay, cerebral palsy, or visual impairment. Persistent ventriculomegaly in infants with ICH was associated with the highest incidence of neurodevelopmental disabilities. For extremely low birthweight infants, the presence and severity of neonatal ICH, in itself, did not adequately predict neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 or 3 years of age. Among infants with ICH, ventriculomegaly persisting to hospital discharge may indicate the greatest risk for neurologic and visual disabilities.