Seizures in the newborn infant. Diagnosis, treatment, and outcome.

Neonatal seizures remain an emergent clinical problem in the neonatal intensive care unit that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. The electroencephalogram is the preferred tool by which a surface-recorded seizure can be documented. While a number of etiologic possibilities may occur, overlapping mechanisms result in a lower seizure threshold. The susceptibility to seizures shortly after birth, efficacy of antiepileptic medications to control seizures, as well as the prediction of outcome in patients with neonatal seizures remains controversial. Prospective studies are required to assess interactions among maternal, fetal, and neonatal conditions that contribute to the occurrence of neonatal seizures.