The Consistency Between Motor Repertoire of Low Birth Weight/Preterm Infants and Results of Cranial Ultrasound Evaluation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the results and early agreement of Prechtl analysis and cranial ultrasonography results in infants. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, we examined 64 babies who were born before 37 weeks gestational age with a birth weight under 2500 grams and were followed up between January 2015 and June 2017. We analyzed video footage taken during the weeks of the cases using Prechtl analysis to determine their movement patterns. We then compared the results of the motion analysis with the cranial ultrasonography examination results using Kappa test statistics to determine their compatibility. With the Prechtl analysis results, 57 (89.1%) of the cases were evaluated as 'normal general movements' and 7 (10.9%) as 'abnormal general movements'. While findings of pathology were detected as a result of cranial ultrasonography in 9 (14.1%) babies, no findings were observed in 55 (85.9%) babies. An 85.7% (kappa = 0.857) agreement was found between general movements results and cranial ultrasonography results. In risky babies with prematurity and low birth weight, early rehabilitation decisions as a result of general movements evaluation may contribute to reducing disability due to neurodevelopmental disorders.