Examination of the Premature Infant

Abstract

The definition of prematurity has changed over the last 10–15 years with the realization that not all small infants are born significantly early. It is clear that birth weight and gestational age are usually closely correlated, but in individual cases they may be discrepant. This has given rise to the concept of a child having appropriate weight for gestational age (AGA), being small for gestational age (SGA), or being large for gestional age (LGA). Each of these states has implications for specific underlying problems, common complications, and prognosis¹ (Table 3-1). They are defined by plotting the child’s gestational age against birth weight and determining whether or not the weight is outside of acceptable limits, generally set at two or more standard deviations from the mean (Figure 3-1).