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EEG's of prematures: 3–8 year follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Ellingson Robert J.,
Dutch Stephen J.,
McIntire Matilda S.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420070605
Subject(s) - electroencephalography , audiology , psychology , pediatrics , medicine , neuroscience
A classification of apparently normal neonatal EEG's into 4 classes (A‐D) on the basis of progressive maturity was devised and applied to 273 EEG's of 117 apparently normal newborns recorded between 24 and 50 weeks conceptional age (CA). Both the order in which the 4 classes of EEG's occurred for subjects upon whom more than 1 EEG was obtained, and the distributions of the ages over which the 4 classes were observed confirmed that the classes do indeed represent a maturational sequence of EEG pattern changes. Of the 81 original premature subjects, 46 underwent comprehensive clinical evaluation between 3 yr 9 months and 8 yr 7 months of age. Various features of their neonatal EEG's were evaluated in the light of clinical outcome. The results do not demonstrate the usefulness of the routine EEG as a prognostic indicator in neonates not displaying specific pathology at birth. They do offer some evidence of a relationship between immaturity of the EEG relative to CA in the neonatal period and the later manifestation of congenital disorders involving the brain, but the tendency, even if confirmed, may not prove strong enough to warrant prognostic decisions in individuals.