Visual evoked potentials for prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) have proved to be accurate predictors of outcome in term infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Parallels between term asphyxia and hypoxic-ischemic injury in the preterm brain suggested the hypothesis that VEPs may predict the development of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and later cerebral palsy. 123 infants less than 32 weeks' gestational age were enrolled in the study. VEPs were done in the first 3 weeks of life (usually first week). VEPs did show a statistically significant association with PVL (p < 0.04) although false-positive recordings were twice as frequent as true-positive recordings. VEPs were not associated with grade III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 1.0). Unlike asphyxiated term infants, VEPs were not predictive of abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome in the preterm population.