Table 1. Patient characteristics of the Utrecht and St. Louis cohorts.
| Utrecht cohort (n = 239) | St. Louis cohort (n = 97) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neonatal characteristicsa | |||
| Maternal age in years | 31 (27–34; 21–42) | 28 (23–33; 15–47) | .004 |
| Maternal educational levelb | Low: 75 (31.8) | ||
| Intermediate: 77 (32.6) | |||
| High: 84 (35.6) | |||
| Ethnicityb | Western: 177 (74.1) | ||
| Mixed: 13 (5.4) | |||
| Non-Western: 49 (20.5) | |||
| Gestational age in weeks | 26.6 (25.9–27.4; 24.3–27.9) | 27 (25–28; 23–32) | .39 |
| Birth weight in gram | 900 (760–1000; 455–1450) | 930 (745–1120; 480–1600) | .03 |
| Birth weight <2 SD | 2 (.8) | 6 (6.2) | .008 |
| Female | 177 (49.0) | 54 (55.7) | .26 |
| Multiple birth | 75 (31.4) | 33 (34.0) | .64 |
| Antenatal corticosteroids (≥1 gift) | 221 (93.6)c | 80 (82.5) | .002 |
| Caesarean section | 110 (46.0) | 68 (70.1) | < .001 |
| Mechanical ventilation >7 days | 120 (50.2) | 30 (30.9) | .001 |
| Oxygen at 36 weeks PMA | 103 (43.1) | 49 (50.5) | .22 |
| Inotropics | 102 (42.7) | 33 (34.0) | .14 |
| Persistent ductus arteriosus | 108 (45.2) | 39 (40.2) | .40 |
| Parenteral nutrition >21 days | 39 (16.8)d | 38 (39.2) | < .001 |
| Sepsis | 96 (40.2) | 29 (29.9) | .08 |
| Perforated necrotizing enterocolitis | 18 (7.5) | 7 (7.2) | .92 |
| Sequential cranial ultrasounde | |||
| GMH-IVH | 98 (41.0) | ||
| Grade I | 20 (8.4) | ||
| Grade II | 43 (18.0) | ||
| Grade III | 18 (7.5) | ||
| PVHI | 17 (7.1) | ||
| PHVD requiring CSF drainage | 20 (8.4) | ||
| c-PVL | 1 (0.4) | ||
| TEA-MRIa | |||
| Postmenstrual age in weeks | 41.1 (40.7–41.6; 39.3–43.7) | 38 (37–39; 36–42) | < .001 |
| Weight in grams | 3300 (2985–3630; 1685–4715) | 2500 (2270–2745; 1490–3825) | < .001f |
| Head circumference in cm | 35.2 (34.5–36.2; 30.0–39.0) | 32.5 (31.9–33.5; 29.0–36.8) | < .001g |
| Neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 and 30 months CAa | |||
| Cognitive composite score | 105 (95–110; 60–145) | 85 (70–100; 65–110) | < .001 |
| Motor composite score | 107 (100–112; 70–148) | 85 (73–97; 58–107) | < .001 |
| Fine motor scaled score | 13 (11–14; 3–19) | 8 (6–10; 2–15) | < .001 |
| Gross motor scaled score | 9 (8–10; 1–17) | 7 (4–10; 1–11) | < .001 |
| Cerebral palsy | 6 (2.5) | ||
PVHI: periventricular hemorrhagic infarction; SD: standard deviation.
a data are presented as either n (%) or median (interquartile range; range).
b data were not comparible between both cohorts.
c data were missing for three infants.
d data were missing for seven infants.
e sequential cUS data were not available for the St. Louis cohort.
f adjusted for PMA in multivariable regression analysis: β (95% confidence interval, CI) for the St. Louis cohort: -395 gram (-600; -195; p < .001).
g adjusted for PMA and weight at MRI-TEA in multivariable regression analysis: β (95% CI) for the St. Louis cohort: +.1 cm (-.5; .6; p = .85).