Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants Using Bayley Scale of Infant Development-III (BSID-III): A Tertiary Care Centre Study

Background: Survival of preterm babies has improved and the focus now is on intact survival. Early detection of developmental delay is crucial so that diagnostic-specific early intervention can be commenced to optimize neuroplasticity. Objective: Primary: To assess the neurodevelopmental outcome by measuring preterm infants’ mean composite score for cognition, language, and motor skills. Secondary: To calculate the degree of developmental delay. Study design: A Cohort Study. Participants: Preterm neonates. Intervention: Bayley-III assessment done between 18 and 42 months. Results: Seventy preterm neonates were assessed between 18 and 42 months of age. They were divided into two groups based on gestational age. Mean composite score for cognition (<30 weeks = 79.84 ± 7.88 and >30 weeks = 86.32 ± 9.28; 95%CI: 81.16–85.55), language (<30 weeks = 79.16 ± 11.55 and >30 weeks = 89.37 ± 11.61; 95%CI: 81.90–87.70), and mean Motor scores (<30 weeks 81.69 ± 17.82 and >30 weeks = 89.84 ± 10.46; 95%CI: 82.59–89.63) were statistically significant. There was more than half the standard deviation deficit of composite scores between the two groups. Eighty-one percent had a moderate delay in cognition in the <30 weeks group as compared to 65.8% in >30 weeks. Similarly, for language and motor scores, 43.8% and 31.3% had a moderate delay in <30 weeks as compared to 39.5% and 42.1% for >30 weeks, respectively. Conclusion: Higher composite scores were observed among infants >30 weeks gestation. There was more than half a standard deviation deficit in composite scores among those <30 weeks of gestational age. The most affected was the language component.