EVOLUTION OF NEONATAL SEIZURES

The evolution of the diagnosis, etiology, management, and prognosis of neonatal seizures over the past two decades is reviewed. Seizures in the neonate are unique and require special classification. They result from acquired or congenital abnormalities of the central nervous syst em. Clustering of prognostic parameters, including seizure characteris tics, perinatal factors, neurologic signs, cause, and neuroimaging and electroencephalographic abnormalities, allows neonatal seizures to be viewed as clinical syndromes with predictable outcomes.