OC10.03: Placental histology related to antenatal brain sonography in fetuses at risk for preterm birth

Methods: We evaluated the performance of 17 children, aged 2–7 years diagnosed in utero as macrocephalic and compared them to 17 normocephalic children, utilizing a standardized neuropsychological battery, which included attribution to cognitive, emotional and behavioral domains. Results: All the fetuses in the study group had a head circumference between two and three standard deviation (SD). No significant differences were found between the groups on the cognitive, language and motor domains. The study group scored significantly lower than the control on three parameters reflecting executive functioning, behavior and social-emotional development. Children with familial macrocephaly showed significantly better executive functioning compared to children with non-familial macrocephaly. Multiple linear regression analysis found paternal head circumference as the only significant variable in positively predicting the cognitive functioning of the child. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the prenatal diagnosis of isolated macrocephaly is not a risk factor for abnormal long-term neuropsychological development. Paternal macrocephaly was found to be most important in positively predicting cognitive performance of the child.