Prognostic value of EEG performed at term age in preterm infants.

RATIONALE: Electroencephalography (EEG) was performed at term age on 32 infants born prematurely (25-32 weeks). EEG was assessed looking for overall background activity and transients. METHODS: A quantitative analysis was performed, selecting 5-min epochs of "tracé alternant" free of artefacts during quiet sleep. EEG findings were compared with cranial ultrasound (US) findings at term age and with neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years (Student's t-test). RESULTS: The overall EEG background activity was not always related to the outcome or to the severity of cranial US. Infants with normal US and normal outcome had longer synchrony percentage of bursts, longer maximum duration of bursts and shorter mean of abnormal transients per interbursts than children with major lesions and abnormal outcome. Infants with minor lesions, who all had normal outcome, also had better results than those with major lesions and abnormal outcome, but the range of the EEG findings was more variable. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the EEG performed at term age does not provide additional prognostic information compared to cranial US.