Abstract Objective Determine the association between persistent versus resolved microcephaly and motor developmental outcomes in infants with congenital microcephaly. Study design Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development ® were collected for all children with congenital microcephaly seen in a NICU Follow-Up Clinic 2015–2024. A linear mixed model was fit to assess the relationship between microcephaly (resolved vs. persistent) with respect to Bayley motor composite scores in the first year. Results Seventy-eight infants had head circumference measurements and Bayley motor composite scores at both visit 1 and visit 2. Infants with persistent microcephaly at 4-6 months had mean motor scores 12.07 (95% CI -22.94, -1.19, p = 0.02) points lower than peers with resolved microcephaly. By 9–12 months, these differences were no longer significant. Conclusion Persistent microcephaly was associated with lower motor development scores at 4-6 months compared to children with resolved microcephaly. This simple, anthropometric measurement may be useful in predicting early motor development.
Chadwick et al. (Wed,) studied this question.