No abstract

The authors conducted a randomized trial of second-line anticonvulsant treatments for neonates. The response to treatment was assessed using continuous video-EEG because the clinical diagnosis of seizure in neonates is known to be unreliable. Of 27 neonates with EEG-confirmed seizures, 5 were excluded because of protocol violations, and 11 responded to phenobarbitone in a dose of 40 mg/kg as first line. Three of five neonates treated with lignocaine responded. Six neonates were treated with benzodiazepines as second line: None responded, and their neurodevelopmental outcome was poor.

Lamotrigine exhibits no clinically significant cognitive effects in adjunctive therapy for children with epilepsy.

aIn the fetal lamb model of hypoxic -ischaemic injury, the insult is followed by EEG depression, after which seizures emerge at 7 -13 hours. We explored the relationship between the emergence of electrographic seizures and our estimate of the time of the cerebral injury in nine babies who underwent continuous video-EEG monitoring from soon after birth. Babies with prelabour insults had their first seizures before 12 hours of age, whereas those whose insult was peripartum had seizure onset at 18 -20 hours of age. EEG seizure onset time could have important clinical and medico-legal applications, and be related to the time or severity of the insult, or both.

No abstract