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Review
. 2021 Mar 16;8(3):227.
doi: 10.3390/children8030227.

Neuroimaging at Term Equivalent Age: Is There Value for the Preterm Infant? A Narrative Summary

Rudaina Banihani  1 , Judy Seesahai  1 , Elizabeth Asztalos  1 , Paige Terrien Church  1
Affiliations
Review

Neuroimaging at Term Equivalent Age: Is There Value for the Preterm Infant? A Narrative Summary

Rudaina Banihani et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Advances in neuroimaging of the preterm infant have enhanced the ability to detect brain injury. This added information has been a blessing and a curse. Neuroimaging, particularly with magnetic resonance imaging, has provided greater insight into the patterns of injury and specific vulnerabilities. It has also provided a better understanding of the microscopic and functional impacts of subtle and significant injuries. While the ability to detect injury is important and irresistible, the evidence for how these injuries link to specific long-term outcomes is less clear. In addition, the impact on parents can be profound. This narrative summary will review the history and current state of brain imaging, focusing on magnetic resonance imaging in the preterm population and the current state of the evidence for how these patterns relate to long-term outcomes.

Keywords: cranial ultrasound; magnetic resonance imaging; neonates; neurodevelopmental; neuroimaging; parental perception; premature infants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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