554 Correlation Between Amplitude- Integrated Eeg (AEEG) and General Movements (GMS) in Preterm Infants

Abstract

Since today the correlation between background cerebral electrical activity at aEEG and brain injury in preterm is unknown. The aim of the present study is to correlate the background activity at aEEG to the patterns of General Movements at writhing age and to avaluate if aEEG is predictive for cerebral palsy. Methods: 17 preterms between 27 and 31 weeks of gestational age with normal head ultrasound were included. The aEEG were recorded during the first 24 hours of life for 60 minutes. The averaged signals were analysed off-line. Background activity was classified into three patterns categories: discontinous low-voltage pattern (minimal amplitude < 3µV), discontinous high voltage pattern (minimal amplitude between 3 and 5 µV) and continous pattern. General movements were performed during the first 24 hours of life and weekly during writhing age. Results: A background low-voltage pattern correlates positively with Cramped Synchronized General Movements (R: 0.74, p = 0.004), on the other way a high voltage pattern and a continous pattern correlates with normal General Movements (R: 0.67, p=0.006). Conclusions: A discontinous low voltage pattern at aEEG in preterm could be expression of cerebral injury and/or altered maturation. In fact this aEEG pattern highly correlates with pathological Cramped Synchronized General Movements leading to the hypotesis of a similar strong correlation between discontinous low voltage pattern and cerebral palsy in this range of gestational age.