Preterm Brain Injury and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT Preterm brain injuries are common; neurodevelopmental outcomes following contemporary neonatal care are continually evolving. OBJECTIVE To systematically review and meta-analyze neurodevelopmental outcomes among preterm infants after intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and white matter injury (WMI). DATA SOURCES Published and grey literature were searched across 10 databases between 2000 and 2021. STUDY SELECTION Observational studies reporting 3-year neurodevelopmental outcomes for preterm infants with IVH or WMI compared with preterm infants without injury. DATA EXTRACTION Study characteristics, population characteristics, and outcome data were extracted. RESULTS Thirty eight studies were included. There was an increased adjusted risk of moderate-severe neurodevelopmental impairment after IVH grade 1 to 2 (adjusted odds ratio 1.35 [95% confidence interval 1.05–1.75]) and IVH grade 3 to 4 (adjusted odds ratio 4.26 [3.25–5.59]). Children with IVH grade 1 to 2 had higher risks of cerebral palsy (odds ratio [OR] 1.76 [1.39–2.24]), cognitive (OR 1.79 [1.09–2.95]), hearing (OR 1.83 [1.03–3.24]), and visual impairment (OR 1.77 [1.08–2.9]). Children with IVH grade 3 to 4 had markedly higher risks of cerebral palsy (OR 4.98 [4.13–6.00]), motor (OR 2.7 [1.52–4.8]), cognitive (OR 2.3 [1.67–3.15]), hearing (OR 2.44 [1.42–4.2]), and visual impairment (OR 5.42 [2.77–10.58]). Children with WMI had much higher risks of cerebral palsy (OR 14.91 [7.3–30.46]), motor (OR 5.3 [3–9.36]), and cognitive impairment (OR 3.48 [2.18–5.53]). LIMITATIONS Heterogeneity of outcome data. CONCLUSIONS Mild IVH, severe IVH, and WMI are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Utilization of core outcome sets and availability of open-access study data would improve our understanding of the nuances of these outcomes.