Article

Early sucking and swallowing problems may be potential markers of neonatal
brain injury and assist in identifying those infants at increased risk of adverse
outcomes, but the relation between early sucking and swallowing problems and
neonatal brain injury has not been established. The aim of the review was,
therefore, to investigate the relation between early measures of sucking and
swallowing and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants diagnosed with neonatal
brain injury and in infants born very preterm (<32wks) with very low birthweight
(<1500g), at risk of neonatal brain injury. Method We conducted a systematic
review of English-language articles using CINAHL, EMBASE, and MEDLINE OVID (from
1980 to May 2011). Additional studies were identified through manual searches of
key journals and the works of expert authors. Extraction of data informed an
assessment of the level of evidence and risk of bias for each study using a
predefined set of quality indicators. Results A total of 394 abstracts were
generated by the search but only nine studies met the inclusion criterion. Early
sucking and swallowing problems were present in a consistent proportion of
infants and were predictive of neurodevelopmental outcome in infancy in five of
the six studies reviewed. Limitations The methodological quality of studies was
variable in terms of research design, level of evidence (National Health and
Medical Research Council levels II, III, and IV), populations studied,
assessments used and the nature and timing of neurodevelopmental follow-up.
Conclusions Based upon the results of this review, there is currently
insufficient evidence to clearly determine the relation between early sucking and
swallowing problems and neonatal brain injury. Although early sucking and
swallowing problems may be related to later neurodevelopmental outcomes, further
research is required to delineate their value in predicting later motor outcomes
and to establish reliable measures of early sucking and swallowing function.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2012 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS