Etiology, clinic and prognosis of seizures in preterm and term neonates: A retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction: The seizure is one of the most common neurological problems in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Its frequency and etiology differ between preteen and term babies. This study aimed to investigate the properties, causes, response to treatment, and prognostic factors of neonatal seizures in term and preterm babies.Materials and Methods: The files of patients with a diagnosis of neonatal seizure in the NICU between 01/01/2014 and 01/09/2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Gross motor function classification, hearing test results and epilepsy rates were examined for neurological outcomes.Results: A total of 86 patients (43 preterm and 43 term infants) were included in this study. The most common etiological factors were hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (35%) in term infants and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in preterm infants (54%). The most common seizure type was subtle seizures in preterm babies and clonic seizures in term babies. The first seizure day was more on the first day and between the 4-7 days in term babies and after seventh days in preterm babies (p <0.05). The onset time of seizures in preterm babies was more after seven days at IVH, and on the first day at HIE (p<0.05). Status epilepticus frequency is higher in preterm (30%) than term (9.3%) (p = 0.015). The response rate to phenobarbital treatment was 71% in term infants and 50% in preterm infants (p = 0.06). According to the criteria (death, epilepsy, hearing loss, autism and gross motor function scale> 2) in our study, the poor prognosis rates were (52%) in term infants and (75%) in preterm infants (p = 0.051).Conclusion: In the etiology of neonatal seizures, IVH in preterm infants and HIE in term infants were the first. The neurological outcomes of patients who had convulsions in the neonatal period should be followed closely.