Background: Preterm babies are prone to develop various degrees of brain injury and adverse neuro-developmental outcomes. Hence, screening of these neonates should be done by cranial ultrasound to prognosticate the outcome.
Objective: The present study was conducted to find cranial ultrasound abnormalities in preterm babies and to help in screening at risk neonates for long term neuro-developmenal disabilities.
Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted in NICU (Neobless) Moulana hospital, Perinthalamana, Kerala from January 2015 to June 2017. Total 312 preterm babies were enrolled in the study. All these neonates underwent cranial ultrasound (cUS) scan immediately after admission and before discharge.
Results: Total 312 neonates were included with mean age of 7.64 days in neonates with normal cUS findings and 7.33 days in neonates with abnormal cUS findings. Mean gestational age was 31.8 weeks in neonates with normal cUS and 30.09 weeks in neonates with abnormal cUS findings with mean weight 1.81 and 1.79 kg respectively. Among the neonates, 142 (46%) were males and 170 (54.4%) were females. Before discharge, out of 312 preterm neonates, 256 (82%) had normal cUS and 56(18%) had abnormal cUS findings of which 29 (9%) had cerebral edema, 20 (7%) IVH and 7 (2%) had ventricular dilatation.
Conclusion: Routine cranial ultrasound scanning of preterm neonates may help in identifying at risk babies for long term prognostication of neuro-developmental outcomes.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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