CLINICAL PREDICTORS OF OUTCOME IN HYPOXIC-ISCHEMIC ENCEPHALOPATHY IN TERM NEONATES

Thirty-eight full-term infants with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy w ere followed up prospectively to determine simple predictors of outcom e at 1 year. Three predictors of outcome, based on clinical examinatio n alone, were evaluated. These were presence of seizures, grading of e ncephalopathy and neurobehavioural assessment at discharge from the ho spital. Development was assessed using the Bayley scales of infant dev elopment, and a mental and motor quotient below 85 was considered to b e delayed development. At 1 year, 15 infants showed delayed developmen t; five of them had cerebral palsy. Predictive values were determined for each indicator. Seizures per se did not affect the outcome. All in fants with mild encephalopathy were normal. The predictive value of mo derate-to-severe encephalopathy was 50%. Abnormal neurobehaviour at th e age of 7 days or at discharge, if earlier, was found to be the best predictor of outcome with a predictive value of 91.6%.