Delayed onset of status epilepticus after transient asphyxia in an asymptomatic full-term neonate.

A full-term neonate presented with status epilepticus at 12 hours of age after a symptom-free interval following transient asphyxia at birth. Conventional neuroimaging failed to detect structural correlates to support recent injury. However, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging studies revealed recent ischemic brain injury. Placental examination documented multiple subacute and chronic findings indicative of decreased maternal/fetal perfusion. These antepartum placental abnormalities may have been associated with this child's inability to withstand the stress of a prolonged second stage of labor, resulting in intrapartum asphyxia leading to brain injury. This child's clinical presentation highlights the delayed reperfusion phase after ischemia-induced brain injury.