A New IVH Scoring System Based on Laterality Enhances Prediction of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 3 Years Age in Premature Infants.

Objective To compare the new intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) Abdi score to the Papile grading system of IVH for prediction of composite outcome of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI). Methods In a cohort study, all preterm infants with IVH who were born ≤1,250 g and/or ≤ 28 weeks of gestation at birth were prospectively followed up in our neonatal follow-up clinic. All cranial ultrasounds of the included infants were reviewed by neuroradiologists who were blinded to the clinical data and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Cranial ultrasounds were graded according to the Papile scoring system and by calculation of the Abdi score. Results A total of 183 preterm infants met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these, 80 (44%) had the composite primary outcome of death or NDI (51 died, 29 survived with NDI). The area under receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting death or NDI was 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81-0.93) for Abdi score and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79-0.91) for Papile grading (p = 0.04). Abdi scores had higher specificity than Papile grade II at Abdi score 5 (63.9 vs. 39.2%; p < 0.001) and Abdi score 6 (73.2 vs. 39.2%; p < 0.001). Conclusion Abdi scores seem to be more specific than Papile grading system in predicting death or NDI by 3 years' corrected age.