Changes in medical technology over the past two decades have improved the survival and life chances of premature and very low birthweight infants. However, a significant proportion of these children experience some degree of functional impairment beyond early childhood. This study was planned to assess the effect of prematurity on neurodevelopmental outcome in the first two years of life. Sixty-two preterm infants, birth weight below 2000 g and gestational age below 34 weeks, who were born in Hacettepe University Hospital between 1996-1998 were included in this study. Physical and neurologic examinations and Bayley Scales of mental and motor development test were administered to all available children at their regularly scheduled two year follow-up clinic visit at the hospital. Forty-seven children were neurologically intact. Fifteen children were neurologically abnormal (six had mild disability, nine had major disability). Five children had IQ below 80 and two children could not be tested due to high degree sensorineural disability. Sensorineural hearing loss was diagnosed in two infants who were neurologically abnormal. Ten babies developed retinopathy of prematurity, and six of them were neurologically abnormal.

Keywords: prematürite, nörogelişimsel izlem, premature, neurodevelopmental outcome