Aspectos neuropsicológico e neurológico de crianças nascidas prematuras e com peso inferior a 1.500 gramas

Preterm children - especially those with birth weight <1,500g - often present neonatal complications and higher risk of suffering from developmental disorders. Twenty children aged seven, with average intelligence and normal neurological exams, born with gestational age <33 weeks and weight <1,500g, were enrolled in a study and compared with 20 children born at full term. Intelligence was measured by WISC-III and behavior by the Conners Questionnaire. Lefevre Evolutive Neurological Examination was applied in the preterm children. Children born preterm had lower IQ than those born at full term. In the Conners, there was no difference between groups. Only 20% of preterm children performed all tests from the Evolutive Exam for their age. This study highlights the importance of specific cognitive evaluations in preterm children during school age, even if they have normal neurological exams.