Emergency: requires immediate attention
Neonatal seizures
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis
Neonatal seizures can result from infection, electrolyte abnormalities, brain malformations or injury (eg, perinatal stroke, hemorrhage, hypoxic ischemic injury), drug withdrawal, metabolic disorders, genetic disorders, or be idiopathic. Hypoxic-ischemic injury is the most common cause. Prognosis varies depending on the cause, from complete resolution of seizures to long-term cognitive and developmental issues and even death.
Codes
ICD10CM:P90 – Convulsions of newborn
SNOMEDCT:
87476004 – Convulsions in the newborn
Look For
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Perinatal stroke – generally symptoms would not fluctuate
- Intracerebral hemorrhage – imaging would be diagnostic
- Normal newborn behaviors
- Jitteriness
- Hyperekplexia
- Sleep myoclonus
Best Tests
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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References
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Last Reviewed:03/16/2017
Last Updated:04/19/2022
Last Updated:04/19/2022
Emergency: requires immediate attention
Neonatal seizures