Neonatal status epilepticus vs recurrent neonatal seizures: clinical findings and outcome

Although most children with status epilepticus have a good prognosis, its effects on newborns are unclear.

We compare the neurodevelopmental consequences of recurrent seizures and status epilepticus in newborns.

One hundred six newborns with video-EEG-confirmed seizures, consecutively admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the University of Parma between January 1999 and December 2004, were enrolled in the study. Fifty-one were preterm and 55 were full-term newborns. Neonatal status epilepticus was defined as continuous seizure activity for at least 30 minutes or recurrent seizures lasting a total of >30 minutes without definite return to the baseline neurologic condition of the newborn between seizures. Neurologic outcome was assessed at 24 months of corrected age.

Thirty-six newborns had a normal outcome, 20 died, and 50 presented an adverse outcome. All but 1 of the 26 subjects with neonatal status epilepticus had an adverse outcome. Birth weight, severely abnormal cerebral ultrasound scans, and status epilepticus were independent predictors of abnormal outcome. Depending on gestational age (GA), neonatal status epilepticus seems to be a risk factor of adverse outcome in full-term newborns (GA >or= 37 weeks: odds ratio [OR] 20.312, 95% CI 2.417 to 170.679, p = 0.006), and a risk factor of epilepsy in early preterm and full-term newborns (GA or= 37 weeks: OR 6.517, 95% CI 1.321 to 32.148, p = 0.021).

Newborns with status epilepticus are at high risk of severe neurologic disability and postneonatal epilepsy. This is particularly evident in early preterm and full-term infants.