title: Somatosensory evoked potentials predict neuromotor outcome after periventricular hemorrhage.
abstract: Thirty-nine very low-birthweight (VLBW) preterm infants with periventricular hemorrhage (PVH) were studied with short-latency median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) at two, four and/or six months corrected age, and subsequently were followed to a mean age of 22 months. All 12 infants with a single SEP showing unilateral absence or prolonged latency of the early cerebral (N1) response had motor abnormalities at follow-up. A single normal SEP predicted normal motor development in 19 of 36 infants; two normal SEPs did so in 15 of 26 infants, and three normal SEPs in 12 of 14 infants. These results demonstrate that SEPs play a useful rôle in predicting neuromotor outcome for VLBW preterm infants with PVH.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA 70112.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moniz
mesh_terms: D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009043:Motor Activity