Neuropsychological screening of a group of preterm twins: comparison with singletons.

OBJECTS: Perform neuropsychological screening of a group of preterm twins without major brain pathology and compare it with a control group of similarly preterm children born as singletons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three preterm twins born at fewer than 32 weeks of gestation were tested for rapid evaluation of cognitive functions at the age of 4 years. The tests evaluated language, non-verbal performances, learning and attention deficit disorders. Cognitive profiles were established. Links between perinatal factors, clinical follow-up and cognitive outcome were investigated. Their cognitive outcome was then compared with the cognitive outcome of 31 preterm singletons with the same gestational periods. CONCLUSION: The twins' neuropsychological outcome was not more marked than that of the singletons. Birth weight discordance and chorionicity were the only predictive perinatal factors with worse outcome in the twin population.

Erythropoietin as treatment for late hyporegenerative anemia in neonates with Rh hemolytic disease after in utero exchange transfusion.

We report the effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in the treatment of late hyporegenerative anemia in 2 neonates with Rh hemolytic disease who had received several in utero exchange transfusions. In both cases anemia occurred at 6 weeks of age and we started therapy at approximately 70 days of age. We used rHuEPO at 250 U/kg three times a week. We also used high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. One week after initiation of erythropoietin treatment, an increase in reticulocyte count and Hb level was noted in our 2 patients. They did not require further erythrocyte transfusions but they already had received two transfusions after birth. There were no side effects attributable to rHuEPO treatment.