Background: Early identification of infants at higher risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) may enable a targeted approach to reduce BPD. We aimed to evaluate the hypothesis that the interstitial pneumonia pattern on the day 7 chest radiograph predicts BPD or death before 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA).
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 336 preterm infants (birth weight < 1500 g and gestational age < 32 postmenstrual weeks) who were admitted to a single tertiary academic center between January 2008 and December 2014. Day 7 chest radiographs were independently reviewed by two pediatric radiologists who were unaware of the clinical information regarding each individual infant.
Results: Data from 304 infants who survived more than 7 days after birth were collected. The interstitial pneumonia pattern on the day 7 chest radiograph was independently associated with BPD or death before 36 weeks PMA (odds ratio [OR] 4.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-14.4). The interstitial pneumonia pattern on the day 7 chest radiograph predicted BPD or death with a specificity of 98%. Histologic chorioamnionitis was a preceding factor that was independently associated with the interstitial pneumonia pattern on the day 7 chest radiograph (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.3-10.3).
Conclusions: The interstitial pneumonia pattern on the day 7 chest radiograph has a high specificity for predicting BPD or death and can be utilized to select high-risk preterm infants who will benefit from potentially preventive interventions against BPD.
Keywords: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia; Chest radiograph; Interstitial pneumonia; Predictor.