The Clinical Study on the Epileptiform Discharges and Imaging Study in Newborn with Seizures

Jeon, Jin Hun; Seol, In Joon; Moon, Soo Ji

Abstract

PURPOSE: Neonatal seizures are mostly symptomatic and have variable atypical clinical features with very different EEG findings from those of post-neonatal period. This study was performed to determine the common types of epileptiform discharges and their relationship with abnormalities in imaging study in neonates with seizures.
METHODS
Fourty one neonates under 7 days of age who had been hospitalized at the Hanyang university hospital from June 1993 to May 1997 were studied retrospectively. Their medical records, results of EEG and brain imaging study were reviewed.
RESULTS
1) The types of neonatal seizures were subtle, generalized tonic, multifocal clonic, focal clonic, myoclonic in order of frequency. 2) The most common epileptiform discharge was excessive sharp transients recorded in 28 cases and the rest showed multifocal spikes, sharp waves, repetitive alpha, repetitive theta in order. Epileptiform discharges appeared on the both hemisphere in 24 cases, right hemisphere in 9 cases and left hemisphere in 8 cases. 3) Imaging study showed no abnormal findings in 27 cases and abnormal findings in 14 cases such as brain edema, intracranial hemorrhage, leukomalacia, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cephalhematoma, craniosynostosis. 4) Among 14 cases with radiological abnormalities, 5 cases had localized abnormalities and 3 of them had the abnormal EEG discharges on the same area concomittantly. But in total only 3 cases of 17 cases with localized epileptiform discharges had abnormalities in imaging study on the same site and so significant relationship between two studies was not observed. 5) As for the prognosis of seizures, subsided in 23 cases without any antiepileptic drugs, 13 cases had no seizure after taking medicine for few days and 5 cases needed continuous antiepileptic drug.
CONCLUSION
This study showed no meaningful relationship between abnormal EEG findings and localization by imaging study in neonatal seizure but we concluded that brain imaging study was needed to determine degree of encephalopathy in neonatal seizures.