J Korean Child Neurol Soc.
2011 Dec;19(3):177-183.
Amplitude Integrated Electroencephalography in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Diagnosis of Neonatal Seizure
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. wskim@chungbuk.ac.kr
Abstract
- PURPOSE
To assess the usefulness of amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG), we compared aEEG with electroencephalography (EEG), which is one of the most useful tools for assessment of neonatal seizures in the neonatal intensive care unit.
METHODS
We retrospectively studied 24 neonates who had been suspected of seizure activity in the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2009 to February 2010. The 24 neonates had seizure or apnea that did not respond to aminophylline or continuous positive airway pressure. We compared the correlation and efficacy of diagnosis among aEEG, EEG, and neurosonography.
RESULTS
We analyzed 24 aEEGs in the neonatal intensive care unit. The aEEGs showed a seizure pattern in 15 (62.6%), burst suppression pattern in 2 (8.3%), flat pattern in 4 (8.3%), and normal in 5 (20.8%). The results of EEGs showed 15 neonatal seizures (62.5%), 2 cerebral dysfunctions (8.3%), and 7 normal findings (29.2%). A correlation between aEEG and EEG was noted (P<0.05). However, there was no correlation between the results of aEEG and echoencephalography.
CONCLUSION
There is correlation between aEEG and EEG for seizure detection in the neonatal intensive care unit. We think that aEEG is an useful screening tool for seizure detection in neonates.
