All issues > Volume 52(9); 2009

Review Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2009;52(9):971-975. Published online September 15, 2009.

Treatment and prognosis of neonatal seizures

So-Hee SH Eun¹, Baik-Lin BL Eun¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Baik-Lin BL Eun ,Email: bleun@korea.ac.kr, bleun@chollian.net

Abstract

Seizures in the neonatal period are common and frequently indicate serious underlying brain injury. Neonatal seizures continue to present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to pediatricians because recognition and classification of neonatal seizures remain problematic, particularly when clinicians rely only on clinical criteria. Neonatal seizures can permanently disrupt neuronal development, induce synaptic reorganization, alter plasticity, and "prime" the brain to increased damage from seizures later in life. Since neonatal seizures predict an increased risk for later epilepsy and other neurological sequelae, accurate diagnoses are needed for aggressive antiepileptic drug use. The present review summarizes the treatment and prognosis of neonatal seizures.

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