[EEG in newborn infants with intracranial hemorrhages: a comparison with clinical findings and CT scan].

This study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of the EEG in neonates with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and to correlate the EEG with clinical findings and the CT-scan. Thirty-eight infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) had EEG examinations. Repetitive sharp waves were present in IVH (48%) and also seen in SAH (33%). They did not differentiate between IVH and SAH, nor were they related to the grade of IVH. The repetitive character of these wave forms suggest that it may be a type of seizure discharge. The value of the EEG in neonatal ICH lies not in the diagnosis of ICH and its extend. This can be done much better with CT-scan and ultrasound. But the EEG is valuable in the recognition of electrical seizure activity which should lead to early anticonvulsive therapy. Depressed background EEG activity was seen in all non-survivors and in all children with major neurological damage. Normal background activity in spite of seizure discharge was favorable prognostic criterion. The prognosis depends on the gestational age, clinical findings and morphological changes. The EEG reflects the actual cerebral function and can add to a more differentiated prognostic evaluation.