Abstract
Background and aims: Improvement of neonatal care during the last decades caused an increase in the number of surviving preterm born infants. In particular very low birth weight infants (VLBW, < 1000g) have a high risk of brain injury and developmental deficits. Beside morphological diagnostics (ultrasonography, magnet resonance imaging, a.o.m.), the amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG) preserves the possibility to monitor the functional status of the preterm brain and to observe maturational changes during long-term development. Analysis of physiological changes is the basis for interpreting pathological cerebral function. We aimed to characterize developmental changes in aEEG and to compare published methods with respect to their correlation with gestational age.Methods: Infants born < 32 weeks gestational age without structural brain pathologies were included to the study. aEEG recordings were obtained weekly up to 28 days after birth. Minimum and maximum amplitude, background pattern, sleep wake cycling, number of burst per hour were examined and correlated to the Burdjalov score (Burdjalov, Pediatrics 2003; Hellström-Westas, NeoReviews 2006).Results: 19 babies were included into the study. Minimal amplitude (MA), time point of appearance of sleep wake cycling (SWC) and duration of continuous background (DCP) pattern as well as the Burdjalov score have shown a statistically significant correlation with postmenstrual age.Conclusion: MA, background pattern and occurence of SWC can be used for the evaluation of brain maturation in preterm infants. We hypothesize that a delay or disturbance of brain developmental is reflected in deviation of the above described aEEG changes. Further analysis are ongoing.
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