Continous somatosensory evoked potentials and brain injury in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy treated with hypothermia.

AIM: To explore whether continuous somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) monitoring and video electroencephalograms (VEEG) accurately predict lesions observed on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in neonates with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) receiving therapeutic hypothermia.

METHOD: This prospective study included 31 neonates (16 males, 15 females; mean [SD] gestational age 39 weeks [1.67]) who received therapeutic hypothermia for HIE. Therapeutic hypothermia was provided for 72 hours, with a target temperature of 33.0°C to 34.0°C and this was followed by a rewarming rate of approximately 0.5°C per hour, up to 36.5°C. SEPs and VEEG were evaluated simultaneously and continuously for 1 hour under normothermic conditions. MRI was carried out at a mean (SD) age of 6 (2) days.

RESULTS

Our results showed a statistically significant correlation between continuous SEP and MRI scores (r=0.37, p=0.03), but not between the VEEG and MRI scores (r=0.30, p=0.09). Receiver operating characteristic analysis confirmed that continuous SEPs were highly specific and sensitive at predicting MRI abnormalities, whereas the VEEG had high specificity but low sensitivity.

INTERPRETATION: Continuous monitoring of SEPs could provide early and important prognostic information in neonates with HIE.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Early continuous somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) monitoring is correlated with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) lesions. Video electroencephalograms (VEEGs) are associated with lesions diagnosed after magnetic resonance imaging. Both showed high specificity, but VEEGs did not show high sensitivity. Continuously monitoring SEPs provides important information about HIE.