RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Transient periventricular echodensities (PVE) in preterm infants affect neurodevelopmental outcome. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the duration and grading of PVE with neurodevelopmental outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, single-centre cohort study of infants with PVE diagnosed by ultrasonography from 1995 to 2000 with blinded grading and recognition of duration of PVE. RESULTS: A total of 72 infants (median gestational age 32 weeks, median birth weight 1,668 g) were diagnosed as having PVE. Minor neurological abnormalities were diagnosed in seven (10%), cerebral palsy in six (8%), developmental delay in seven (10%), and mild mental retardation in two (3%) of the infants. Differences regarding adverse outcome were not significant between infants with severity grade 1 compared to severity grade 2 (16% and 22%, respectively). There was a significant increase in adverse neurodevelopmental outcome with increasing duration of PVE. Of 33 infants with duration of PVE<7 days, 1 (3%) had an adverse neurodevelopmental outcome, compared to 6 (24%) of 25 infants with a duration of PVE of 7-14 days, and 6 (43%) of 14 infants with a duration of PVE>14 days (P<0.002, RR 7.920, 95% CI 1.017-61.661; P<0.001, RR 14.143, 95% CI 1.871-106.895, respectively). CONCLUSION: The duration, but not the grading, of transient PVE was significantly correlated with neurodevelopmental outcome.
