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SPECIAL ARTICLES:
Tonse N.K. Raju, Rosemary D. Higgins, Ann R. Stark, and Kenneth J. Leveno
Optimizing Care and Outcome for Late-Preterm (Near-Term) Infants: A Summary of the Workshop Sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Pediatrics 2006; 118: 1207-1214 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
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[Read eLetters] Cerebral palsy and late preterm birth
Mary J Sharp   (27 September 2006)

Cerebral palsy and late preterm birth 27 September 2006
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Mary J Sharp,
Neonatal Paediatrician
Princess Margaret and King Edward Hospitals, Perth, Western Australia

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Re: Cerebral palsy and late preterm birth

mary.sharp{at}health.wa.gov.au Mary J Sharp

I read with interest the summary of the recent workshop on late preterm birth and look forward to further research in this area of neonatology.

In the discussion on long term neurodevelopmental outcomes in this group I would have expected to see comment made on the increased incidence of cerebral palsy for children born at less than 37 weeks. I have attached a reference showing the increased incidence of cerebral palsy in Western Australia with decreasing gestation.(1)

Reference:

1. Blair E. and Watson L. Epidemiology of cerebral palsy Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine 2006;11(2):117-125

Conflict of Interest:

None declared