The Left Ventricular Wall Dimensions & Mass in The Early Post-Natal Life: A Comparison between Term and Preterm Neonates

Background: The early post-natal period is critical for left ventricular (LV) development, with significant structural differences between term and preterm neonates. Gestational age and birth weight influence LV wall dimensions and mass, which is vital for assessing neonatal cardiac health. This study compares LV dimensions and mass in term and preterm neonates to highlight developmental variations.
Objectives: This study compares the left ventricular wall dimensions, left ventricular mass, and index throughout the 1st 7 days of the post-natal period in preterm and term neonates.
Methods: The (50) term neonates and the (30) preterm neonates enrolled in the study who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were assessed by echocardiography to measure the left ventricular wall dimensions, left ventricular mass, and index throughout the early post-natal period of life as well as it's correlations with body weight, body surface area, and gestational age.
Results: A statistically significant difference between the research groups was found for all variables including left ventricular wall dimensions, left ventricular mass, and index. Preterm newborns had less values in the first week of life than mature neonates, which could be explained by the latter having less time to nurture and grow in the uterus.
Conclusion: At the 1st week of post-natal life, neonates had a greater value of left ventricular dimensions, left ventricular mass, and index when compared with the values obtained from the preterm neonates.