Continuous long-term electroencephalography: the gold standard for neonatal seizure diagnosis.

Newborn infants at risk for cerebral dysfunction, such as those with acute brain injury or with disorders of brain development, often have encephalopathy and seizures. Conventional electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring can enhance the care of these highly vulnerable patients, through identification of prognostically significant EEG background patterns and accurate diagnosis of seizures and non-seizure paroxysmal events. Neonatal seizures are usually subclinical, and abnormal neonatal movements are often not the result of seizures. Judicious use of conventional EEG monitoring can provide precise diagnosis, quantify seizures, and guide treatment--neonates with EEG-proven seizures should receive appropriate medications and those whose events are not seizures may be spared unnecessary exposure to medications that have potentially important side-effects.