Management of refractory neonatal seizures

Abstract

David Neubauer,1 Aneta Soltirovska-Salamon,2 Damjan Osredkar,3 Darja Paro-Panjan21Department of Child, Adolescent and Developmental Neurology, 2Department of Neonatology, University Children's Hospital Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayAbstract: The risk of seizures is highest during the neonatal period. Currently used therapies have limited efficacy and the treatment of neonatal seizures has not significantly changed in recent decades. Controversies still exist as to whether neonatal seizures can cause damage to the developing brain per se, or if the associated neurodevelopmental problems are caused by the underlying condition(s). However, during recent years, there has been substantial progress in the diagnostic possibilities for uncovering the etiologic cause of seizures. This article addresses the most common and important (treatable) etiologic causes of neonatal seizures, and discusses some of the diagnostic tools available. Current therapeutic approaches and their efficacy are discussed, with the aim to present the current knowledge on the topic.Keywords: neonatal seizures, electroencephalography, etiologic considerations, treatment options