Comparison of the neurocognitive outcomes in term infants treated with levetiracetam and phenobarbital monotherapy for neonatal clinical seizures.

PURPOSE

This study aims to compare the neurocognitive outcome in term infants who were treated using phenobarbital (PB) and levetiracetam (LEV) monotherapy for neonatal clinical seizures.

METHODS

Term infants who were treated using PB or LEV monotherapy as the first-line anti-epileptic treatment for neonatal clinical seizures and followed-up in a pediatric neurology outpatient clinic were enrolled in this study. Neurodevelopmental outcome assessments were carried out using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, third edition (BSID-III), including cognitive, receptive language, expressive language, fine motor and gross motor subscales.

RESULTS

The study group consisted of 62 infants who received monotherapy with PB monotherapy (n = 22) and LEV (n = 40). The mean duration of monotherapy treatment was 8 ± 6 months. There was no statistically significant difference between PB and LEV monotherapy groups concerning each outcome parameter on the BSID-III. There was also no statistically significant difference between PB and LEV monotherapy subgroups excluding the infants with neurodevelopmental impairment with a BSID-III scale score<7 or a composite score<85.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that both LEV and PB therapy can be equally safe as monotherapy for neonatal clinical seizures for the neurodevelopmental outcome assessment with BSID-III.