Clinical features and psychomotor development at one year of age in infants born from a mother with chorioamnionitis.

Objective: The aim of this study is lo evaluate the neonatal outcome and psychomotor development during infancy of the babies born from a mother with chorioamnionitis. Methods: Cases were selected from the records of pathology department. The infants of the mothers with normal placental examination who had received histological diagnosis of chorioamnionitis. Perinatal characteristics, complications during their stay in neonatal intensive care unit and psychomotor development al one year of age were evaluated. Sixty cases were included in the study. Results: Histologic diagnosis of chorioamnionitis was made in 30 cases. Thirty cases with normal placental examination served as the control group. The age of mother, risk factors during pregnancy, the method of delivery and gender of the cases did not differ between the two groups. However, the number of preterm births was significantly higher, and the mean gestational age and the mean birth weight of the cases were significantly lower in the chorioamnionitis group compared with the control group (p=0.001, p=0.046, p=0.001, respectively). The psychomotor development of the cases at one year of age did not differ between the two groups (p=0.154). Conclusion: Although chorioamnionitis induces premature birth and complications in the neonatal intensive care unit, it does not seem to have any adverse effect on the psychomotor development of the infants at one year of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]