S. Shankaran et al., ANTENATAL PHENOBARBITAL THERAPY AND NEONATAL OUTCOME .2. NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME AT 36 MONTHS, Pediatrics, 97(5), 1996, pp. 649-652
Objective. To evaluate the effect of antenatal phenobarbital (PB) ther
apy on neurodevelopmental outcome at 36 months. Design. Prospective, r
andomized, controlled trial. Setting. Single-institution study. Subjec
t and Interventions. Children born to women who participated in the st
udy evaluating the effect of antenatal phenobarbital (PB) on neonatal
intracranial hemorrhage were prospectively followed to 3 years of age.
Outcome Measures. Physical growth, neurologic examinations, and devel
opmental testing (McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities). Comparison
s between groups were made on all children and those born to multiple
gestations. Results. Forty-one children born to women who received 10
mg/kg PB before delivery and 55 children in the control group were eva
luated. Three children, ail in the control group, had growth parameter
s (height, weight, and head circumference) below the fifth percentile.
The McCarthy General Cognitive Index (standard, 100 +/- 16) was 93 +/
- 20 in the PB group and 85 +/- 18 in the control group. The subscores
tended to be higher in the PB group than in the control group, with h
igher quantitative scores in the PB group (44 +/- 11 vs 39 +/- 8). Neu
rologic deficits were noted in 2 of 41 in the PB group and in 6 of 55
in the control group. Conclusions. Infants born to women who received
antenatal PB therapy had similar neurodevelopmental outcomes as infant
s born to women who did not receive PB. No adverse effects of PB expos
ure were detected.