Postnatal brain growth assessed by sequential cranial ultrasonography in infants born <30 weeks’ gestational age

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Brain growth in the early postnatal period following preterm birth has not been well described. This study of infants born at 30 weeks’ gestational age and without major brain injury aimed to accomplish the following: 1) assess the reproducibility of linear measures made from cranial ultrasonography, 2) evaluate brain growth using sequential cranial ultrasonography linear measures from birth to term-equivalent age, and 3) explore perinatal predictors of postnatal brain growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants comprised 144 infants born at 30 weeks’ gestational age at a single center between January 2011 and December 2013. Infants with major brain injury seen on cra..