Electroencephalography Findings in Children with Congential Heart Disease

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Pediatric Cardiology Unit and Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University

Abstract

Abstract
Background: Children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) as well as survivors of cardiac surgeries are at risk for brain injury and neurodevelopmental deficits.
The Aim of this Work: Is to evaluate the Electroencepha-lography (EEG) findings as an indicator for cerebral function in children with congenital heart disease and to correlate these findings to the oxygen saturation.
Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study included 30 patients (17 males and 13 females) with CHD (20 with cyanotic and 10 with acyanotic CHD) with age range 4-9 years. Compared with 30 age and sex matched healthy children as controls. All children underwent; digital EEG recording for detection of background slowing and epileptic changes and measurement of oxygen saturation using pulse oximeter.
Results: EEG findings were present in 17 (30%) patients (16 patients with cyanotic and 1 with acyanotic CHD). Detected EEG changes were: Epileptic activity in 6 (20%) patients (all had cyanotic CHD), background activity slowing in 16 (53.3%) patients (1 with acyanotic and 15 with cyanotic CHD), while both epileptic changes & back ground activity slowing were detected in 5 (16.7%) patients (all with cyanotic CHD). The cut off value of O2 saturation below which background activity slowing are liable to occur was 87%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 81.2% and 71.4% respectively.
Conclusion: Children with cyanotic CHD had significantly higher EEG changes than those with acyanotic CHD.
Recommendation: The digital EEG should be performed routinely in patients with CHD (particularly cyanotic) to detect abnormalities in the cerebral function.

Keywords

The Medical Journal of Cairo University
Volume 87, March
March 2019
Pages 505-510

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