Relationship between the Quantitative Indicators of Cranial MRI and the Early Neurodevelopment of Preterm Infants

Abstract

Aim: To explore the relationship between the quantitative indicators (biparietal width, interhemispheric distance) of the cranial MRI for preterm infants at 37 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA) and neurodevelopment at 6 months of corrected age.

Methods: A total of 113 preterm infants (gestational age < 37 weeks) delivered in the Obstetrics Department of the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang from September 2018 to February 2020 and directly transferred to the Neonatology Department for treatment were enrolled in this study. Based on their development quotient (DQ), the patients were divided into the normal (DQ ≥ 85, n = 76) group and the abnormal (DQ < 85, n = 37) group. Routine cranial MRI (cMRI) was performed at 37 weeks of PMA to measure the biparietal width (BPW) and interhemispheric distance (IHD). At the corrected age of 6 months, Development Screening Test (for children under six) was used to assess the participants' neurodevelopment.

Results: Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences in BPW, IHD, and the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia between the normal and the abnormal groups (P < 0.05), while no statistically significant differences were found in maternal complications and other clinical conditions between the two groups (P > 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences in IHD and BPW between the normal and the abnormal groups (95% CI: 1.629-12.651 and 0.570-0.805, respectively; P = 0.004 and P < 0.001, respectively), while no significant differences were found in the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia between the two groups (95% CI: 0.669-77.227, P = 0.104). Receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the area under the curve of BPW, IHD, and the joint predictor (BPW + IHD) were 0.867, 0.805, and 0.881, respectively (95% CI: 0.800-0.933, 0.710-0.900, and 0.819-0.943, respectively; all P values < 0.001).

Conclusion: BPW and IHD, the two quantitative indicators acquired by cMRI, could predict the neurodevelopmental outcome of preterm infants at the corrected age of 6 months. The combination of the two indicators showed an even higher predictive value.