Am J Perinatol 2019; 36(02): 191-199
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1667107
Original Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Outcomes after Neonatal Seizures in Infants Less Than 29 Weeks' Gestation: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Hiroko Iwami
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Tetsuya Isayama
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Abhay Lodha
2   Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
,
Rody Canning
3   Department of Pediatrics, Moncton Hospital, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
,
Ayman Abou Mehrem
2   Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
,
Shoo K. Lee
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4   Maternal-Infant Care Research Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
Anne Synnes
5   Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
,
Prakesh S. Shah
1   Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4   Maternal-Infant Care Research Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
,
for the Canadian Neonatal Network and Canadian Neonatal Follow-Up Network Investigators › Author Affiliations
Funding Although no specific funding has been received for this study, organizational support for the Canadian Neonatal Network was provided by the Maternal-Infant Care Research Centre (MiCare) at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. MiCare and the CNFUN are supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Team Grant (FRN87518) and in-kind support from Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Shah holds an Applied Research Chair in Reproductive and Child Health Services and Policy Research awarded by the CIHR (APR-126340). The funding agencies had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Further Information

Publication History

08 February 2018

07 June 2018

Publication Date:
17 July 2018 (online)

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between neonatal seizure and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18 to 24 months in extremely preterm neonates. The association between anticonvulsants use and NDI was also assessed.

Study Design In this retrospective cohort study of infants born at <29 weeks' gestation from the Canadian Neonatal Network and Canadian Neonatal Follow-Up Network databases, we compared mortality and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants who had neonatal seizures with those without seizures after adjusting for confounders.

Results Of the 2,762 eligible neonates, 133 (4.8%) had seizures. Infants who had seizures were of lower gestation (25.2 vs. 26.2 weeks) and birth weight (819 vs. 920 g) and had higher rates of adverse outcomes. Neonatal seizure was associated with higher odds of composite outcome of death or significant NDI (74 vs. 27%; adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 3.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2–5.4). Death or significant NDI was higher in infants with seizures treated with anticonvulsants than those without treatment (89 vs. 70%); however, when adjusted for confounders, it was not significantly different (adjusted OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 0.83–14.6).

Conclusion Neonatal seizures were independently associated with higher odds of death or significant NDI at 18 to 24 months of age. Relationship of anticonvulsant and neurodevelopmental outcomes needs further studies.

* A complete list of non-author contributors appears in Appendix A.


 
  • References

  • 1 Holden KR, Mellits ED, Freeman JM. Neonatal seizures. I. Correlation of prenatal and perinatal events with outcomes. Pediatrics 1982; 70 (02) 165-176
  • 2 Lanska MJ, Lanska DJ, Baumann RJ, Kryscio RJ. A population-based study of neonatal seizures in Fayette County, Kentucky. Neurology 1995; 45 (04) 724-732
  • 3 Lanska MJ, Lanska DJ. Neonatal seizures in the United States: results of the National Hospital Discharge Survey, 1980-1991. Neuroepidemiology 1996; 15 (03) 117-125
  • 4 Saliba RM, Annegers JF, Waller DK, Tyson JE, Mizrahi EM. Incidence of neonatal seizures in Harris County, Texas, 1992-1994. Am J Epidemiol 1999; 150 (07) 763-769
  • 5 Ronen GM, Penney S, Andrews W. The epidemiology of clinical neonatal seizures in Newfoundland: a population-based study. J Pediatr 1999; 134 (01) 71-75
  • 6 Glass HC, Pham TN, Danielsen B, Towner D, Glidden D, Wu YW. Antenatal and intrapartum risk factors for seizures in term newborns: a population-based study, California 1998-2002. J Pediatr 2009; 154 (01) 24-28
  • 7 Vasudevan C, Levene M. Epidemiology and aetiology of neonatal seizures. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med 2013; 18 (04) 185-191
  • 8 Davis AS, Hintz SR, Van Meurs KP. , et al. Seizures in extremely low birth weight infants are associated with adverse outcome. J Pediatr 2010; 157: 720-7252
  • 9 Watkins A, Szymonowicz W, Jin X, Yu VV. Significance of seizures in very low-birthweight infants. Dev Med Child Neurol 1988; 30 (02) 162-169
  • 10 Pisani F, Barilli AL, Sisti L, Bevilacqua G, Seri S. Preterm infants with video-EEG confirmed seizures: outcome at 30 months of age. Brain Dev 2008; 30 (01) 20-30
  • 11 Vesoulis ZA, Inder TE, Woodward LJ, Buse B, Vavasseur C, Mathur AM. Early electrographic seizures, brain injury, and neurodevelopmental risk in the very preterm infant. Pediatr Res 2014; 75 (04) 564-569
  • 12 Uria-Avellanal C, Marlow N, Rennie JM. Outcome following neonatal seizures. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med 2013; 18 (04) 224-232
  • 13 Tekgul H, Gauvreau K, Soul J. , et al. The current etiologic profile and neurodevelopmental outcome of seizures in term newborn infants. Pediatrics 2006; 117 (04) 1270-1280
  • 14 Scher MS, Aso K, Beggarly ME, Hamid MY, Steppe DA, Painter MJ. Electrographic seizures in preterm and full-term neonates: clinical correlates, associated brain lesions, and risk for neurologic sequelae. Pediatrics 1993; 91 (01) 128-134
  • 15 Kohelet D, Shochat R, Lusky A, Reichman B. ; Israel Neonatal Network. Risk factors for seizures in very low birthweight infants with periventricular leukomalacia. J Child Neurol 2006; 21 (11) 965-970
  • 16 Bittigau P, Sifringer M, Genz K. , et al. Antiepileptic drugs and apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002; 99 (23) 15089-15094
  • 17 Forcelli PA, Janssen MJ, Vicini S, Gale K. Neonatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs disrupts striatal synaptic development. Ann Neurol 2012; 72 (03) 363-372
  • 18 Forcelli PA, Kim J, Kondratyev A, Gale K. Pattern of antiepileptic drug-induced cell death in limbic regions of the neonatal rat brain. Epilepsia 2011; 52 (12) e207-e211
  • 19 Kaushal S, Tamer Z, Opoku F, Forcelli PA. Anticonvulsant drug-induced cell death in the developing white matter of the rodent brain. Epilepsia 2016; 57 (05) 727-734
  • 20 Kim J, Kondratyev A, Gale K. Antiepileptic drug-induced neuronal cell death in the immature brain: effects of carbamazepine, topiramate, and levetiracetam as monotherapy versus polytherapy. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2007; 323 (01) 165-173
  • 21 Jensen FE. Neonatal seizures: an update on mechanisms and management. Clin Perinatol 2009; 36 (04) 881-900
  • 22 El-Dib M, Soul JS. The use of phenobarbital and other anti-seizure drugs in newborns. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med 2017; 22 (05) 321-327
  • 23 The Canadian Neonatal Network. Abstractor's Manual v.3.0.0 Available at: http://www.canadianneonatalnetwork.org/Portal/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=0Va-2WLyPaU%3d&tabid=69 . Published January 10, 2017. Accessed October 6, 2017
  • 24 Haslam MD, Lisonkova S, Creighton D. , et al; Canadian Neonatal Network and the Canadian Neonatal Follow-Up Network. Severe neurodevelopmental impairment in neonates born preterm: impact of varying definitions in a Canadian Cohort. J Pediatr 2018; 197: 75-81
  • 25 Palisano R, Rosenbaum P, Walter S, Russell D, Wood E, Galuppi B. Development and reliability of a system to classify gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy. Dev Med Child Neurol 1997; 39 (04) 214-223
  • 26 Bayley N. Manual for Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development. San Antonio, TX: Pearson Assessment; 2005
  • 27 Rosenbaum P, Paneth N, Leviton A. , et al. A report: the definition and classification of cerebral palsy April 2006. Dev Med Child Neurol Suppl 2007; 109: 8-14
  • 28 Richardson DK, Corcoran JD, Escobar GJ, Lee SK. SNAP-II and SNAPPE-II: simplified newborn illness severity and mortality risk scores. J Pediatr 2001; 138 (01) 92-100
  • 29 Papile LA, Burstein J, Burstein R, Koffler H. Incidence and evolution of subependymal and intraventricular hemorrhage: a study of infants with birth weights less than 1,500 gm. J Pediatr 1978; 92 (04) 529-534
  • 30 Bell MJ, Ternberg JL, Feigin RD. , et al. Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. Therapeutic decisions based upon clinical staging. Ann Surg 1978; 187 (01) 1-7
  • 31 International Committee for the Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity. The International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity revisited. Arch Ophthalmol 2005; 123 (07) 991-999
  • 32 Ronen GM, Buckley D, Penney S, Streiner DL. Long-term prognosis in children with neonatal seizures: a population-based study. Neurology 2007; 69 (19) 1816-1822
  • 33 Synnes A, Luu TM, Moddemann D. , et al; Canadian Neonatal Network and the Canadian Neonatal Follow-Up Network. Determinants of developmental outcomes in a very preterm Canadian cohort. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2017; 102 (03) F235-F234