Standardized Outcome Measures for Preterm and Hospitalized Neonates: An ICHOM Standard Set

Approximately, one in ten infants is born preterm or requires hospitalization at birth. These complications at birth have long-term consequences that can extend into childhood and adulthood. Timely detection of developmental delay through surveillance could enable tailored support for these babies and their families. However, the possibilities for follow-up are limited, especially in middle- and low-income countries, and the tools to do so are either not available or too expensive. A standardized and core set of outcomes for neonates, with feasible tools for evaluation and follow-up, could result in improving quality, enhance shared decision-making, and enable global benchmarking. 

Altered grey matter cortical and subcortical T1-weighted/T2-weighted ratio in premature-born adults

Microscopic studies in newborns and animal models indicate impaired myelination after premature birth, particularly for cortical myelination; however, it remains unclear whether such myelination impairments last into adulthood and – if so – are relevant for impaired cognitive performance. It has been suggested that the ratio of T1w and T2w MRI signal intensity (T1w/T2w ratio) is a proxy for myelin content. We hypothesized altered grey matter (GM) T1w/T2w ratio in premature-born adults, which is associated with lower cognitive performance after premature birth.