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Assessing bone development in preterm infants using quantitative ultrasonography showed a decline in the early postnatal period
Author(s) -
Krikke Marieke,
Yumani Dana,
Rustenburg Christine,
Cranendonk Anneke,
Twisk Jos,
Lafeber Harrie,
Weissenbruch Mirjam
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.14088
Subject(s) - medicine , neonatal intensive care unit , gestation , gestational age , pediatrics , obstetrics , pregnancy , genetics , biology
Aim Preterm infants have an insufficient bone mineral store at birth and this study explored their bone development during the early postnatal period. Methods The metacarpal speed of sound (mc SOS ) and metacarpal bone transmission time (mcBTT) were used to assess bone development in 277 preterm infants, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 2007–2012. Results During the first nine postnatal weeks, the mc SOS declined from 10 to 38 m per second per week and the mc BTT declined from 20 to 71 nanoseconds per week. The pattern of change in both of these measurements showed a significant difference between infants born before 32 weeks of gestation (p = 0.048) and those born between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation (p = 0.008). There was a borderline significant difference in the pattern of change of the mc BTT in infants with a protein intake below 2 g/kg per day versus a higher intake (p = 0.050). Conclusion The mc SOS and mc BTT of preterm infants showed a small to moderate decline during the early postnatal period. Future studies should explore the clinical relevance of this decline and develop interventions to halt it.