title: An easy and practical method for routine, bedside testing of somatosensory systems in extremely low birth weight infants.
abstract: This study was set out to develop and describe a novel, simple, and safe method for routine bedside testing of somatosensory system in very early preterm infants. We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) activity after tactile stimulation of hand (palm) and foot (sole) by a soft hairbrush stimulator in extremely low birth weight infants (n = 10; GA, 24-28, recording at conceptional age 30-32 wk) and compared with the raw EEG responses to those seen by one- or two-channel brain monitors. In every subject, single tactile stimuli produced prominent (100-350 microV) somatosensory evoked responses (SERs) that were readily identified in the ongoing EEG signal. The maximal SER was in the contralateral hemisphere at around the corresponding somatosensory representation areas. Conventional EEG filtering did significantly reduce the SERs, but they could still be identified in the routine brain monitor setting widely available in NICUs. The method described here is directly applicable to assessment of integrity of somatosensory system in the early preterm period. It needs minimal training and requires an EEG system or a brain monitor device that is available in most units. Thus, the technique is likely to open a novel window to neurologic assessment of these babies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, P.O. Box 280, FIN-00029 HUS, Finland. sampsa.vanhatalo@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Sampsa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanhatalo
authors.forename: Veikko
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jousmäki
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Marjo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Metsäranta
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*