Effect of Phenobarbital on Nitric Oxide Level in Term Newborn Infants with Perinatal Asphyxia.
OBJECTIVE
Perinatal asphyxia (PA) is very significant in perinatal medicine due to the involvement of the central nervous system. This study was conducted to investigate the biochemical, clinical, and paraclinical changes associated with phenobarbital administration in neonates with PA.


METHODS
In this prospective, case-control study, 30 neonates with PA in two groups of 15 each (case and control) were investigated. The case group received 20 mg/kg intravenous phenobarbital within six hours of birth, and the control group did not receive phenobarbital. Serum concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) were measured at enrollment and one week after birth in the two groups. Clinical, electroencephalography, and magnetic resonance imaging findings of the two groups were compared.


RESULTS
At enrollment, the two groups did not differ in clinical severity, seizure incidence, or NO concentration. After one week, NO concentration was significantly lower in the case group (p < 0.050), but there was no significant difference in other variables between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Early administration of phenobarbital in term neonates with PA could protect them against encephalopathy.
Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Abolfazl
A
Khoshdel
Department of Pediatrics, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Hajar
H
Noormohammadi
Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Soleiman
S
Kheiri
Department of Pediatrics, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Roya
R
Reisi
Department of Pediatrics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Mohammad-Kazem
SM
Nourbakhsh
Department of Pediatrics, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Gholam Reza
GR
Panahandeh
Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Esfandiar
E
Heidarian
Asphyxia; Electroencephalography.; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Nitric Oxide; Phenobarbital