The objective of the series was to study the effect of prenatal dexamethasone therapy on the growth and neurological development of preterm children until the age of 2 years. Eighty-two children with a mean gestational age of 30 (24-33) weeks and a mean weight of 1291 (530-2360) g at birth, treated antenatally with either dexamethasone (n = 50) or placebo (n = 32), were examined at the adjusted age of 24 months by a paediatric neurologist, a neuropsychologist and a speech therapist. Neurological development was defined as normal if all scores of neuropaediatric, neuropsychological and verbal tests were within the normal range. Normal neurological development was found in 52\% of the dexamethasone-treated and in 34\% of the placebo-treated children. The incidence of cerebral palsy was 10\% in the dexamethasone group and 22\% in the placebo group. Minor developmental delay was found in 42\% of dexamethasone-treated and in 53\% of placebo-treated children. Our follow-up results indicate that the beneficial effect of prenatal glucocorticoid treatment on cerebral complications (intraventricular haemorrhage or periventricular leucomalacia) demonstrated during the neonatal period may be followed by a lower incidence of cerebral palsy in surviving premature children.
%0 Journal Article
%1 Salokorpi1997
%A Salokorpi, T.
%A Sajaniemi, N.
%A H?llback, H.
%A Kari, A.
%A Rita, H.
%A von Wendt, L.
%D 1997
%J Acta Paediatr
%K Brain Diseases; Cerebral Palsy; Developmental Disabilities; Dexamethasone; Female; Finland; Follow-Up Studies; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Incidence; Infant, Newborn; Premature; Male; Placebos; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Retrospective Studies
%N 3
%P 294--298
%T Randomized study of the effect of antenatal dexamethasone on growth and development of premature children at the corrected age of 2 years.
%V 86
%X The objective of the series was to study the effect of prenatal dexamethasone therapy on the growth and neurological development of preterm children until the age of 2 years. Eighty-two children with a mean gestational age of 30 (24-33) weeks and a mean weight of 1291 (530-2360) g at birth, treated antenatally with either dexamethasone (n = 50) or placebo (n = 32), were examined at the adjusted age of 24 months by a paediatric neurologist, a neuropsychologist and a speech therapist. Neurological development was defined as normal if all scores of neuropaediatric, neuropsychological and verbal tests were within the normal range. Normal neurological development was found in 52\% of the dexamethasone-treated and in 34\% of the placebo-treated children. The incidence of cerebral palsy was 10\% in the dexamethasone group and 22\% in the placebo group. Minor developmental delay was found in 42\% of dexamethasone-treated and in 53\% of placebo-treated children. Our follow-up results indicate that the beneficial effect of prenatal glucocorticoid treatment on cerebral complications (intraventricular haemorrhage or periventricular leucomalacia) demonstrated during the neonatal period may be followed by a lower incidence of cerebral palsy in surviving premature children.
@article{Salokorpi1997,
abstract = {The objective of the series was to study the effect of prenatal dexamethasone therapy on the growth and neurological development of preterm children until the age of 2 years. Eighty-two children with a mean gestational age of 30 (24-33) weeks and a mean weight of 1291 (530-2360) g at birth, treated antenatally with either dexamethasone (n = 50) or placebo (n = 32), were examined at the adjusted age of 24 months by a paediatric neurologist, a neuropsychologist and a speech therapist. Neurological development was defined as normal if all scores of neuropaediatric, neuropsychological and verbal tests were within the normal range. Normal neurological development was found in 52\% of the dexamethasone-treated and in 34\% of the placebo-treated children. The incidence of cerebral palsy was 10\% in the dexamethasone group and 22\% in the placebo group. Minor developmental delay was found in 42\% of dexamethasone-treated and in 53\% of placebo-treated children. Our follow-up results indicate that the beneficial effect of prenatal glucocorticoid treatment on cerebral complications (intraventricular haemorrhage or periventricular leucomalacia) demonstrated during the neonatal period may be followed by a lower incidence of cerebral palsy in surviving premature children.},
added-at = {2014-07-19T21:12:26.000+0200},
author = {Salokorpi, T. and Sajaniemi, N. and H?llback, H. and Kari, A. and Rita, H. and von Wendt, L.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2cfb52101ec5bddd93cd061109570e795/ar0berts},
groups = {public},
interhash = {7360d5cf1deb6694b2f29bec79750fd6},
intrahash = {cfb52101ec5bddd93cd061109570e795},
journal = {Acta Paediatr},
keywords = {Brain Diseases; Cerebral Palsy; Developmental Disabilities; Dexamethasone; Female; Finland; Follow-Up Studies; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Incidence; Infant, Newborn; Premature; Male; Placebos; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Retrospective Studies},
month = Mar,
number = 3,
pages = {294--298},
pmid = {9099320},
timestamp = {2014-07-19T21:12:26.000+0200},
title = {Randomized study of the effect of antenatal dexamethasone on growth and development of premature children at the corrected age of 2 years.},
username = {ar0berts},
volume = 86,
year = 1997
}