Maternal chorioamnionitis and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm and very preterm neonates: A meta-analysis

ContextNo consensus exists regarding the association between maternal chorioamnionitis and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm and very preterm neonates.ObjectivesTo investigate whether maternal chorioamnionitis affects neurodevelopmental outcomes and to identify the factors that may explain these effects.Data sourcesWe used Ovid Medline, EMBASE and Web of Science to conduct a meta-analysis of studies published in English before August 25, 2017, with titles or abstracts that discussed an association between maternal chorioamnionitis and mental/motor development.Study selectionAmong the 603 initially identified studies, we selected those that addressed an association between maternal chorioamnionitis and mental/motor development according to our preselected inclusion criteria as follows: (1) the study compared infants with and without exposure to maternal chorioamnionitis and (2) the neurodevelopmental outcome was followed up using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development 2nd edition.Data synthesisOur meta-analysis included 10 studies. According to a random effect model, infants with maternal chorioamnionitis exposure had poorer mental development (d = -2.25 [95%CI, -4.33, -0.17], pConclusionThis study suggests that maternal chorioamnionitis may affect mental development in preterm and very preterm neonates, and that maternal clinical chorioamnionitis may affect motor development in offspring. Further studies are required to confirm these results and to detect the influence of variables across studies.