Brain Activity and Cerebral Oxygenation After Perinatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke Are Associated With Neurodevelopment

Background and Purpose- In infants with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (PAIS), early prognosis of neurodevelopmental outcome is important to adequately inform parents and caretakers. Early continuous neuromonitoring after PAIS may improve early prognosis. Our aim was to study early cerebral electrical activity and oxygenation measured by amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) and near-infrared spectroscopy in term neonates with PAIS and relate these to the development of cerebral palsy and cognitive deficit. Methods- aEEG patterns and regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂) levels of both hemispheres were studied for 120 hours from the first clinical symptoms of PAIS (ie, seizures) onward. Multivariable analyses were used to investigate the association between aEEG, near-infrared spectroscopy, clinical variables, and neurodevelopmental outcome. Results- In 52 patients with PAIS (gestational age, 40.4±1.4 weeks; birth weight, 3282±479 g), median time to a continuous background pattern was longer in the ipsilesional compared with the contralesional hemisphere (13.5 versus 10.0 hours; P<0.05). rScO₂ decreased over time in both hemispheres but less in the ipsilesional one, resulting in a rScO₂ asymmetry ratio of 4.5% (interquartile range, -4.3% to 5.9%; P<0.05) between hemispheres from day 3 after symptoms onward. Both time to normal background pattern and asymmetry in rScO₂ were negatively affected by gestational age, size of the PAIS, use of antiepileptic drugs, and mechanical ventilation. After correction for size of the PAIS on magnetic resonance imaging, a slower recovery of background pattern on ipsilesional aEEG and increased rScO₂ asymmetry between hemispheres was related with an increased risk for cognitive deficit (<-1 SD) at a median of 24.0 (interquartile range, 18.4-24.4) months of age. Conclusions- Recovery of background pattern on aEEG and cerebral oxygenation are both affected by PAIS and related to neurocognitive development. Both measurements may provide valuable early prognostic information. Additionally, monitoring cerebral activity and oxygenation may be useful in identifying infants eligible for early neuroprotective interventions and to detect early effects of these interventions.