Elsevier

Early Human Development

Volume 4, Issue 3, September 1980, Pages 207-228
Early Human Development

Obstetrical condition and neonatal neurological morbidity. An analysis with the help of the optimality concept

https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-3782(80)90027-4Get rights and content

Abstract

In order to increase understanding of the origin of neonatal neurological morbidity, the relationship between the obstetrical and neonatal neurological conditions was studied in a 3-year cohort containing 3162 singleton infants. The infants were neurologically examined at term age according to the technique described by Prechtl. Obstetrical data were documented extensively. Prechtl's optimality concept was applied in the analysis. A statistically significant relationship was found between the obstetrical and neo-natal neurological optimality scores. There was no sex difference in the obstetrical optimality, whereas there was in the neurological optimality, to the advantage of the girls. It could be shown that obstetrical conditions such as acidemia, preterm birth and intrauterine growth retardation have a stronger relationship to neurological morbidity when the accompanying obstetrical optimality is lower. In obstetrical practice the application of the optimality concept to obstetrical and neurological data is a helpful complementary refinement.

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This paper is a publication from the Groningen Perinatal Project, supported by the Praeventiefonds (Grant 28–226) and by the Prinses Beatrixfonds, The Netherlands.

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