Predictors of Severe Neurologic Injury on Ultrasound Scan of the Head and Risk Factor-based Screening for Infants Born Preterm

Objective To identify risk factors for severe neurologic injury( intraventricular hemorrhagegrade 3 or greater and/or periventricular leukomalacia) diagnosed by ultrasound scanof the head among infants born at 300-326 weeks of gestationand compare different screening strategies. Study design This was a retrospective cohort studyof infants born at 300-326 weeks or >326 weeks of gestationwith a birth weight Results The rate of severe neurologic injurywas 3.1% among infants screened (285/9221). Significant risk factors included singletonbirth (aOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.35-2.85), 5-minute Apgar Conclusions Risk factor-based ultrasound scanof the head screening among infants born at 30-32 weeks of gestationcould help optimize resources better than gestationalage based screening.