This article aims to analyze the scientific literature on the development of children born preterm with very low birth weight assessed by the Denver-II test in the period from 2000 to 2009. A survey of empirical literature indexed in Medline, Lilacs and Scielo was carried out through the combination of the keywords: preterm, very low birth weight, risk factors, development, and Denver-II. Twenty six articles were identified and eight were selected following the inclusion criteria. Most studies evaluated preterm children between 5 and 24 months of age. The studies identified a significant association between neonatal and environmental variables and the performance on Denver-II Test. Children born preterm must be followedup at outpatient Units to prevent and detect risks in development.
Preterm; very low birth weight; risk factors; development; Denver-II
