In utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs: teratogenicity and neonatal morbidity
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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Tarannum Musvee Lateef1, Karin B Nelson
1Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. tlateef@cnmc.org
Abstract:
Clinical studies have extensively documented the various risks posed by in utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). However, it is difficult to sort out the extent to which any given AED is responsible for a particular outcome, given the disparities in patients taking the drugs, their type and severity of epilepsy, and the various possible AEDs, as well as the vast number of outcomes that could be assessed. This review focuses on AED exposure during pregnancy and how it affects the risks of neonatal morbidity and major congenital malformations.
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