[Study of children of mothers treated with anticonvulsants during pregnancy]

Forty children of mothers with epilepsy treated with anticonvulsants during pregnancy were investigated. Medical documentation and history data permitted to gain information concerning the course of the disease and treatment during pregnancy, the course of pregnancy and labour and the neonatal condition of the child. The children had medical, psychological and EEG investigations. It was found that in the group studied disturbances in the course of pregnancy occurred much more frequently than in the general population (pregnancy disturbances in 20.5%, premature labour -- 25.6%, complicated labour -- 15.4%). Numerous so-called minor malformation syndromes were found in these children (37.5%) and somatic development was deficient in 52.5% of cases. EEG abnormalities were present in 65.6% of children. No abnormalities were observed in mental development. It seems that these abnormalities were most frequent when the mothers had been treated with derivatives of phenytoin and phenobarbital. The observed group is, however, too small for reaching reliable conclusions.