Fetal neuroimaging applications for diagnosis and counseling of brain anomalies: Current practice and future diagnostic strategies.

Advances in fetal brain neuroimaging, especially fetal neurosonography and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allow safe and accurate anatomical assessments of fetal brain structures that serve as a foundation for prenatal diagnosis and counseling regarding fetal brain anomalies. Fetal neurosonography strategically assesses fetal brain anomalies suspected by screening ultrasound. Fetal brain MRI has unique technological features that overcome the anatomical limits of smaller fetal brain size and the unpredictable variable of intrauterine motion artifact. Recent studies of fetal brain MRI provide evidence of improved diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, beginning with prenatal diagnosis. Despite technological advances over the last several decades, the combined use of different qualitative structural biomarkers has limitations in providing an accurate prognosis. Quantitative analyses of fetal brain MRIs offer measurable imaging biomarkers that will more accurately associate with clinical outcomes. First-trimester ultrasound opens new opportunities for risk assessment and fetal brain anomaly diagnosis at the earliest time in pregnancy. This review includes a case vignette to illustrate how fetal brain MRI results interpreted by the fetal neurologist can improve diagnostic perspectives. The strength and limitations of conventional ultrasound and fetal brain MRI will be compared with recent research advances in quantitative methods to better correlate fetal neuroimaging biomarkers of neuropathology to predict functional childhood deficits. Discussion of these fetal sonogram and brain MRI advances will highlight the need for further interdisciplinary collaboration using complementary skills to continue improving clinical decision-making following precision medicine principles.

Risk factors of neurodevelopmental outcomes in very/extremely low birth weight infants / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To analyze the risk factors of adverse neurodevelopmental prognostic in very/extremely low birth weight infants (VLBWI/ELBWI).Methods The 24 hours VLBWI/ELBWI admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between January 2016 and October 2016 were enrolled.These infants were followed up and neurodevelopmental evaluation was performed at a corrected age of 12 months by using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Ⅱ (BSID-Ⅱ).According to the neurodevelopmental outcomes,they were divided into normal and abnormal neurodevelopment groups.The data of prenatal,intrapartum and postpartum periods in the two groups were compared.Potential risk factors of neurodevelopmental impairment were analyzed with Logistic stepwise regression.Results A total of 167 VLBWI/ELBWI were enrolled,among which 14 cases died during hospitalization or after giving up treatment.At the corrected age of 12 months,140(91.5％) infants completed follow-up and 13(8.5％) were lost to follow-up.Among 140 infants who completed neurodevelopmental evaluation at the corrected age of 12 months,there were 86 males,54 females,and in which 28 cases had extremely low birth weight,112 cases with very low birth weight,with gestational age of (30.4 ± 2.2) weeks (25.3-36.0 weeks).There were one hundred and twenty-five cases with normal neurodevelopmental outcomes and 15 cases with abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes.The results of univariate analysis showed that birth weight ＜ 1 000 g,exposure to antenatal steroids,N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) ≥35 000 ng/L and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the two groups were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).Logistic stepwise regression showed that NT-proBNP level ≥ 35 000 ng/L may independently predict neurodevelopmental impairment among VLBWI/ELBWI (OR =22.774,95％ CI:3.079-168.425,P =0.002).Exposure to antenatal steroids may be a protective factor for neurodevelopmental impairment (OR =0.125,95％ CI:0.020-0.782,P =0.026).Conclusions Plasma NT-proBNP level ≥ 35 000 ng/L may independently predict neurodevelopmental impairment among VLBWI/ELBWI.Antenatal corticosteroids may be the protective factor of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Risk factors of neurodevelopmental outcomes in very/extremely low birth weight infants / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective@#To analyze the risk factors of adverse neurodevelopmental prognostic in very /extremely low birth weight infants (VLBWI/ELBWI).@*Methods@#The 24 hours VLBWI/ELBWI admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between January 2016 and October 2016 were enrolled.These infants were followed up and neurodevelopmental evaluation was performed at a corrected age of 12 months by using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development Ⅱ (BSID-Ⅱ). According to the neurodevelopmental outcomes, they were divided into normal and abnormal neurodeve-lopment groups.The data of prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods in the two groups were compared.Potential risk factors of neurodevelopmental impairment were analyzed with Logistic stepwise regression.@*Results@#A total of 167 VLBWI/ELBWI were enrolled, among which 14 cases died during hospitalization or after giving up treatment.At the corrected age of 12 months, 140(91.5%) infants completed follow-up and 13(8.5%) were lost to follow-up.Among 140 infants who completed neurodevelopmental evaluation at the corrected age of 12 months, there were 86 males, 54 females, and in which 28 cases had extremely low birth weight, 112 cases with very low birth weight, with gestational age of (30.4±2.2) weeks (25.3-36.0 weeks). There were one hundred and twenty-five cases with normal neurodevelopmental outcomes and 15 cases with abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes.The results of univariate analysis showed that birth weight<1 000 g, exposure to antenatal steroids, N -terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) ≥35 000 ng/L and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05). Logistic stepwise regression showed that NT-proBNP level≥35 000 ng/L may independently predict neurodevelopmental impairment among VLBWI/ELBWI (OR=22.774, 95%CI: 3.079-168.425, P=0.002). Exposure to antenatal steroids may be a protective factor for neurodevelopmental impairment (OR=0.125, 95%CI: 0.020-0.782, P=0.026).@*Conclusions@#Plasma NT-proBNP level ≥35 000 ng/L may independently predict neurodevelopmental impairment among VLBWI/ELBWI.Antenatal corticosteroids may be the protective factor of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.

School Performance and Neurodevelopment of Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: First Report From Turkey.

Very low birth weight preterm infants are under significant risk of neurologic, developmental, and somatic problems. In this study, 90 infants born with a birth weight <1500 g and/or with a gestational age <32 weeks were evaluated after the first year of elementary school to assess neurodevelopment. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) test, Pediatric Symptom Checklist, and Parent Evaluation of Developmental Status were performed. Mental retardation, cerebral palsy, blindness, epilepsy, and posthemorrhagic hydrocephaly incidences were 14%, 7%, 2%, 5%, and 2%, respectively. The WISC-R score of 32 patients (35.5%) were below 85. Perinatal asphyxia, abnormal neurologic examination, and delayed or impaired speech correlated significantly with low WISC-R scores. Education and income of the father had positive impact on WISC-R scores (P = .042 and P = .026). Parents' concern and presence of cognitive problems were correlated (P = .026). Environmental factors, as well as the prevention of morbidity, affected school performance positively.