Abstract
103 VLBW infants (<1.5 Kg.) were evaluated at 4 and 12 months (corrected for gestation). The 4 month evaluation included assessment of primitive reflexes using a standardized, quantitative scale. The resulting primitive reflex profile (PRP) has a range from 0 to 12. Intertester reliability for the PRP was 0.88. The gross motor scale of the Denver Development Screening Test (DDST) was also administered at the 4 month evaluation. The results of the 4 month evaluation were compared to neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months as determined by a neurological examination and the Bayley Scales' Mental and Psychomotor Developmental Indices (MDI, PDI).
The PRP at 4 months correlated significantly with both mental development (MDI) (r=-.438, p<.001) and motor development (PDI) (r=-.427, p<.001) at 12 months. Coupled with the motor scale of the DDST, primitive reflex assessment at 4 months was highly predictive of neurodevelopmental abnormality (cerebral palsy, MDI≤69, or PDI≤69) at 1 year.
Retention of strong primitive reflexes at 4 months correlates significantly with poor outcome in VLBW infants.
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Marquis, P., Ruiz, N., Lundy, M. et al. PRIMITIVE REFLEX ASSESSMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF OUTCOME IN VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (VLBW) INFANTS. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 379 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-01718
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-01718
