The features of background bioelectric activity of the brain in preterm infants of different gestational groups

Authors

  • D. M. Kostiukova National Children's Specialized Hospital «OKHMATDYT», Kyiv, Ukraine Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukraine

Keywords:

electroencephalography, preterm infants, background activity, continuity activity, discontinuous activity, low voltage suppressed activity

Abstract

Multichannel electroencephalography (ЕEG) in newborn infants is the gold standard of diagnosis and allows to examinate maturity of central nervous system; to identify seizures and epileptic conditions of newborns; evaluate the severity of neonatal encephalopathy, focal lesions, response to treatment; to predict neurological development.
The aim of the study. To determine peculiarities of the background brain activity (BBA) according to the results of multichannel EEG in preterm infants (PI) with perinatal pathology, taking into account gestational age (GA) at birth and postmenstrual age (PMA) of the child in the dynamics of clinical observation.
Materials and methods. A comprehensive clinical and electroencephalographic study was conducted of 90 PI. The group I consisted of 29 children with GA 24–28 weeks, group II consist of 45 children with GA 29–32 weeks, group III — of 16 children with GA 33–36 weeks.
Results. For PI group I there is a gradual maturation of BBA with a prevalence of discontinuous pattern (DP) in the first month of life with a gradual replacement of continuous pattern (CP) and mixed pattern (MP) during the first six months of life. The low voltage suppressed activity (LVSA) in children of this cohort was detected before reaching the PMA of 40 weeks, which may indicate a violation of the electrophysiological characteristics of the immature damaged brain.
PI group II is characterized by the gradual maturation of electrophysiological characteristics with a change in the prevalence of DP and MP in the first month to dominance of CP when the PMA is reached for 40 weeks and during the first three months. LVSA was detected at a much lower frequency compared to group I children.
For PI group III was a gradual maturation of BBA during the first month, sometimes with the preservation of a LVSA until the third month of life.
Conclusions. Multichannel EEG is one of the important components of complex neuromonitoring of PI with manifestations of perinatal pathology, which gives an opportunity to establish peculiarities of BBA taking into account gestation period at birth and term postnatal life. Detection of a pathological pattern of LVSA after 29 weeks of gestation indicates a violation of BBA in children of all ages requiring additional examination and correction of the treatment complex.
The children were examined after obtaining the written consent of the parents, following the basic ethical principles of scientific medical research and approval of the research program by the Commission on Biomedical Ethics of the Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education.

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