Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Sep;155(3):318-23.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.03.040. Epub 2009 Jun 21.

Clinical Neonatal Seizures are Independently Associated with Outcome in Infants at Risk for Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

Hannah C Glass  1 , David Glidden, Rita J Jeremy, A James Barkovich, Donna M Ferriero, Steven P Miller
Affiliations

Clinical Neonatal Seizures are Independently Associated with Outcome in Infants at Risk for Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

Hannah C Glass et al. J Pediatr. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether neonatal seizures are associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with hypoxia-ischemia independent of the presence and severity of brain injury seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Study design: We used multivariate regression to examine the independent effect of clinical neonatal seizures and their treatment on neurodevelopment in 77 term newborns at risk for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Clinical seizures were recorded prospectively, and high-resolution newborn MRI measured the severity of brain injury. The outcome measure was the Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised and neuromotor score at age 4 years.

Results: After controlling for severity of injury on MRI, the children with neonatal seizures had worse motor and cognitive outcomes compared with those without seizures. The magnitude of effect varied with seizure severity; children with severe seizures had a lower FSIQ than those with mild/moderate seizures (P < .0001).

Conclusions: Clinical neonatal seizures in the setting of birth asphyxia are associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcome, independent of the severity of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether differences in seizure treatment can improve outcome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Eriksson M, Zetterstrom R. Neonatal convulsions. Incidence and causes in the Stockholm area. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1979;68:807–11. - PubMed
    1. Ronen GM, Penney S, Andrews W. The epidemiology of clinical neonatal seizures in Newfoundland: a population-based study. J Pediatr. 1999;134:71–5. - PubMed
    1. Ronen GM, Buckley D, Penney S, Streiner DL. Long-term prognosis in children with neonatal seizures: a population-based study. Neurology. 2007;69:1816–22. - PubMed
    1. Minchom P, Niswander K, Chalmers I, Dauncey M, Newcombe R, Elbourne D, et al. Antecedents and outcome of very early neonatal seizures in infants born at or after term. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1987;94:431–9. - PubMed
    1. Tekgul H, Gauvreau K, Soul J, Murphy L, Robertson R, Stewart J, et al. The current etiologic profile and neurodevelopmental outcome of seizures in term newborn infants. Pediatrics. 2006;117:1270–80. - PubMed

MeSH terms