Cranial Ultrasound at 6 Weeks and Term Equivalent Age and Association With Early Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Cranial ultrasound (cUS) screening is routinely performed in preterm neonates. This study compared cranial ultrasound abnormalities (CUA) detected at 6 weeks postnatal age (PNA) and term equivalent age (TEA) with early neurodevelopment outcomes at 3–4 months corrected age. Methods: Pre-planned substudy of a prospective single-centre cohort included high-risk infants born before 32 weeks of gestation who underwent cUS at 6 weeks PNA and TEA. Severe CUAs, defined as significant intraventricular haemorrhage, white matter injury or ventricular enlargement were compared with outcomes at 3–4 months corrected age, including Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE), General Movement Assessment (GMA), and early cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis. Results: Fifty-four infants were included (median gestation 26.8 weeks, birthweight 782 g). Abnormal HINE scores (< 57) were found in 18 (33%), absent fidgety GMAs in 5 (9%), and early CP in 2 (4%). Severe CUAs were not significantly associated with abnormal HINE at 6 weeks PNA (p = 0.77) or TEA (p = 0.77), absent fidgety GMAs at 6 weeks PNA (p = 0.39) or TEA (p = 0.14) or early CP at 6 weeks PNA (p = 0.16) or TEA (p = 0.52). Conclusion: In this exploratory study, severe CUAs on cUS were not associated with early neurodevelopmental outcomes. Larger studies are needed to determine whether meaningful associations exist.