Electrographic seizures in preterm infants during the first week of life are associated with cerebral injury.

The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of electrographic seizure activity in a prospective cohort of preterm infants and relate it to the presence of cerebral injury. Infants born <30-wk gestation received a median 74 h of continuous 2-channel EEG with amplitude-integrated EEG monitoring in the first week of life. Infants were classified in the abnormal outcome group if they died in the neonatal period and/or had grades 3-4 intraventricular hemorrhage and/or moderate or severe abnormalities on cerebral MRI.