Abstract
Sixteen healthy premature infants born with no pre- and perinatal complications at The Downstate Medical Center from 1974 to 1975 and at The Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center from 1979 to Nov. 1980 had weekly head circumference measurements until 12 weeks of life. Contrary to previously published studies, which consistently showed linear increases in head circumference from birth to 12 weeks for premature infants, our study showed significant postnatal delays prior to the establishment of linear headgrowth. The duration of retarded head growth appears to be inversely correlated with initial head circumference and birth weight. Infants who were 1000 gm or less required up to two weeks before beginning their linear increase in head circumference. When their head growth increase took place, the average head growth was 0.8 cm per week during the first 9 weeks of life, 0.6 cm/week from 9 to 12 weeks of life and 0.4 cm/week from 12 weeks to 20 weeks of life (in 5 infants).
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Yoon, J., Shin, K., Esqneo, A. et al. 1471 POSTNATAL HEAD GROWTH IN HEALTHY PREMATURE INFANTS. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 688 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-01500
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-01500