Association of Early Nutrition with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Severity and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lung Characteristics in Preterm Infants.

Introduction: Restricted fetal and neonatal growth is a known risk factor for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants. However, the impact of nutrition and infant growth specifically on lung growth in BPD is unknown. Moreover, whether all lung growth in BPD is beneficial is unclear. We hypothesized that lung growth and development and severity of BPD directly relate to caloric and protein intake, weight gain, and linear growth of premature neonates.

Methods: In this retrospective study, caloric and protein intake for the first 4 weeks of life, growth parameters along with lung volume, mass, density, and BPD severity obtained by ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI, were analyzed.

Results: The cohort included 95 neonates with mean GA 26.1 weeks and BW 790 g. Infants with grade 2 and 3 BPD had less caloric and protein intake during first 4 weeks of life vs. grade 1 BPD (96/98 vs. 106 kcal/kg/day; 3.79/3.75 vs. 3.99 g protein/kg/day; p < 0.05). UTE MRI showed that lung mass per body surface area increased with increasing BPD severity (237, 311, 384 g/m2 for grade 1, 2, and 3, respectively, p < 0.05). Increased caloric intake was associated with decreased lung mass (p = 0.02) and improved BPD score on MRI (p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Decreased nutritional intake during the first 4 weeks of life appears to be associated with more severe BPD, increased lung mass and more severe lung disease on MRI.