Very preterm children with fetal growth restriction demonstrated altered white matter maturation at nine years of age

Aim This study evaluated the role of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction on white mattermaturation in schoolchildren without any severe neurodevelopmental impairment. Methods The study group comprised 56 very preterm children and 21 term children born between November 1998 and November 2002 at Oulu University Hospital, Finland. The mean gestational age of the preterm children was 28.7 (24.1–31.9) weeks. All children underwent diffusion tensor imaging at a mean age of 9.0 (8.6–9.6) years. Voxel-wise statistical analyses of the imaging data were carried out using tract-based spatial statistics. Results Preterm children with fetal growth restriction had lower fractional anisotropyand higher radial diffusivity than term controls (p < 0.05), bilaterally in several white matterareas. Preterm children without fetal growth restriction had higher mean diffusivity and axial diffusivity than term controls (p < 0.05) in analogous areas, but more asymmetrically. Conclusion Preterm children had microstructural differences in white matter, compared to term-born children at a mean age of nine, and those with poor fetal growth showed widespread changes in white mattermaturation compared to term-born children. Fetal growth and prematurity seemed to affect white mattermaturation in a way that was still visible at that age. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.