Reference Intervals of Lateral Ventricles for Extremely Pre-Term Infants: Multicenter Cohort Research.

OBJECTIVE

To establish reference intervals and intervention cutoffs for lateral ventricles in extremely pre-mature infants.

METHODS

This prospective study recruited neurologically healthy extremely pre-mature infants born or treated at two Chinese Grade 3A Hospitals between 2021 and 2024. Upon enrollment (U1), anterior horn width (AHW), ventricular index (VI) and thalamo-occipital distance (TOD) were measured to establish reference values and surgical intervention cutoffs. Four weeks later, the same indices were measured (U2). We analyzed the correlations between AHW, VI and TOD and independent variables in U1 data using multiple linear regressions and compared the time-varying trends of AHW, VI and TOD between U1 and U2 data via mixed linear models.

RESULTS

A total of 353 extremely pre-mature infants were included. Special attention was paid to the 97th percentile and 4 mm above it, internationally regarded as upper reference limits and intervention cutoffs for post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilation, respectively. The AHW, VI and TOD were all positively correlated with birth weight (p values <0.05) and increased over time (p values <0.001).

CONCLUSION

The study presents reference values and intervention cutoffs for AHW, VI and TOD in extremely pre-mature infants and provides an extensive comparison of all available reference values.