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Surgery or multiple procedural interventions in extremely preterm neonates influence neurodevelopmental outcome and may be associated with long-term changes in somatosensory function or pain response.

This observational study recruited extremely preterm (EP, <26 weeks' gestation; n=102, 60% female) and term-born controls (TC; n=48) aged 18–20 yr from the UK EPICure cohort. Thirty EP but no TC participants had neonatal surgery. Evaluation included: quantitative sensory testing (thenar eminence, chest wall); clinical pain history; questionnaires (intelligence quotient; pain catastrophising; anxiety); and structural brain imaging.

Reduced thermal threshold sensitivity in EP vs TC participants persisted at age 18–20 yr. Sex-dependent effects varied with stimulus intensity and were enhanced by neonatal surgery, with reduced threshold sensitivity in EP surgery males but increased …