[Outcome of 404 premature infants born before 32 weeks of gestation in 1978-1980].

The outcome of 404 prematures born before 32 weeks of gestation and admitted on the first day of life to the Institut de Puériculture (IP) in 1978-1980 was studied with respect to post-menstrual age and birth weight: 83 (20,5%) died during the hospitalization. Of the 321 still alive after the neonatal hospitalization, 71% were followed until at least 2 years of age; 3,1% died unexpectedly at home. There was a 8% handicap rate (9 with cerebral palsy and 9 with psychomotor deficiency) in the survivors.

[Place of VEP's and ERG in neonatal encephalopathies and impaired visual maturation in the infant and young child].

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) induced by brief flashes and electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded in 15 infants (9 prematures and 6 babies with perinatal cerebral injuries) suffering from important disturbances in their visual behavior (abnormal fixation, cortical blindness). The parallel evolution of the visual symptoms and the electrophysiological signs were studied and a good correlation was observed between these clinical and electrical signs. The authors insist on the clinical and prognostic value of the VEP in this category of infants.

[Mental retardation and multiple handicaps (author's transl)].

Handicaps in childhood often go by 2 or 3, more often than usually said. Multiple handicaps create difficult problems as to their diagnosis and care. On the basis of an epidemiological survey conducted in the Paris area, the authors underline the frequency of behavioral problems as supplementary handicap, and the role and importance of the mental deficiency in multiple handicaps in childhood, the most frequency associations according to the level of mental deficiency, the social factors significantly associated with the mental handicap, in terms of inequality of risks and inequality of access to health care and rehabilitation.

[The value and reliability of auditory evoked potentials in the detection of deafness in early childhood (author's transl)].

The authors have carried out a study on 472 subjects using auditory evoked response techniques in the evaluation of hearing difficulties and deafness in the child. They were able to demonstrate excellent correlation between the technique used and the clinical data and its additional prognostic value. Furthermore because of its safety and its ability to assess high tones it can be recommended whenever a hearing deficit is suspected in the neonate or toddler.

Relationship between changes in somesthetic evoked responses and electroencephalographic findings in the child with hemiplegia.

The results of somesthetic evoked response (SER) and electroencephalogram (EEG) records in 43 children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy have been compared. In all children there was a positive correlation between the SER changes and the affected side of the body. In 12 children the SER of the "damaged" hemisphere disappeared; in 31 children it was less than the response of the "healthy" hemisphere.