The purpose of the present study was to recognize differences in postural control between infants who present normal, abnormal and absent FMs using the new PT.
Preterm infants with a high risk of developing CP who were cared for by the local Neonatal Counsel Clinic of Public Clinical Hospital and qualified for the SYNAGIS program (prophylactic respiratory syncytial virus infection) were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criteria for the study were as follows: 1) infants’ gestational age at birth was between 25 and 33 completed weeks; 2) absent or abnormal FMs were confirmed by General Movements Assessment (GMA). A group of individuals without high-risk factors for developing CP and normal GMs, matched for sex and age, were enrolled in the study as a control group. Participation was excluded if they had significant congenital anomalies and genetic syndromes; 2) they were clinically unstable. Comparative studies were carried out between infants who presented absent FMs (12), abnormal FMs (10 participants), and normal FMs (22), which involved analysing the CoP trajectory and CoP area in supine using the new PT. The examination consisted of two simultaneous performed assessments: 1) GMA according to the standard methodological principles of Prechtl’s method; and 2) posturometric test using a force platform with dedicated software and a video recorder connected to a computer with special software (Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland). The infant was carefully positioned on the force platform, ensuring its belly button was precisely in the middle of the platform while supine. The registration was then carried out for 15 minutes. For analysis, we selected three recordings of 30 sec each (i.e., between 4.30 and 5.00 min, 9.30-10 min and 14.30–15.00 min). The mean value of these three measurements was used for further statistical analysis. The following postural indices were analysed: maximal velocity of the CoP displacement, sway path length of the CoP, area of CoP shifts, and mean range of medial-lateral and anterior-posterior displacement of the CoP.
Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between infants with absent and abnormal FMs and those who presented normal FMs for almost all CoP parameters describing spontaneous sway in the supine position.
Based on these preliminary results, it can be concluded that applying PT based on the analysis of CoP trajectory, area and velocity in supine has been demonstrated to be valid for detecting postural control disturbances in preterm infants.
This non-invasive, safe, and valid posturometric test is a valuable measurement tool for assessing postural control in preterm infants at risk for application in clinical settings.
general movements
postural control
