Neonatal Seizures - Recent Aspects

Abstract

This study reports the neonatal aspects and prognosis of seizures observed in 71 neonates from 1.3.1980 to 30. 6. 1981. Forty-five were full-term, 26 preterm babies. Twenty-one children had status epilepticus (SE), 50 isolated crises (IC). An etiology was found in 68 cases. Acute fetal distress (AFD) was observed in half of the cases. AFD and intracranial hemorrhages represented 62 % of the etiologies in term babies, 42 % in preterm.

Fifteen children died in the neonatal period. The outcome of the 56 survivors was followed until at least two years of age. Forty-one children were neurologically normal; 15 were not : 9 had a cerebral palsy, 12 a mental retardation, 1 was deaf, 4 were epileptic.

Sequelae occurred in 24.3 % of term, 31.6 % of preterm survivors (p ≤0.01). The outcome was normal in 8 out of 15 living children with SE (53 %), in 32 out of 41 (78 %) with IC (p ≤ 0.01). The prognosis of hypoxic-ischemic seizures was good if crises lasted less than two days. Treatment was discontinued as soon as possible, during the days following the end of the crises and the recovery from the initial disease, without adverse effects.

Convulsions following obstetrical abnormalities were less frequent, and the prognosis was better in premature babies than in previous studies.

Key words

Neonatal seizures - Follow-up - Full-term - Preterm babies