Association of Birth Weight With Intracranial Findings Among Preterm Neonates Having Seizures

ABSTRACT Introduction Preterm birth and low birth weight pose a significant global health challenge, particularly in developing countries like Pakistan. Surviving preterm neonates often face neurodevelopmental issues, with seizures being a common clinical manifestation. This study aimed to find the birth weight association with intracranial findings in preterm neonates having seizures. Methods One‐hundred and thirty six participants were included in this cross‐sectional study by using the non‐probability judgmental sampling technique. Pretermers with a history of seizures within the neonatal period were included, who subsequently underwent cranial ultrasound examination. The chi‐square test was applied to find the association of birth weight classes with intracranial abnormalities. Results In the study, the majority (60.3%) of pretermers underwent cranial ultrasound within the first 3 days of life, revealing male predominance (59.6%). Preterm class III (58.8%) and low birth weight neonates (43.4%) were most prevalent. Abnormal cranial ultrasound findings were observed in 42.6% of neonates, with ventriculomegaly (19.1%) and intracranial hemorrhage (17.6%) being the most common abnormalities. Significant associations were found between seizures and both intracranial hemorrhage ( p < 0.001) and ventriculomegaly ( p < 0.001) in normal and low birth weight neonates. Additionally, other abnormalities included increased periventricular echogenicity (6.6%), echogenic sulci (5.9%), congenital abnormalities (3.7%), cerebral oedema (2.9%), choroidal cyst (2.2%), and corpus callosum agenesis (0.7%). Conclusion Intracranial hemorrhage and ventriculomegaly were significant pathologies of seizures in preterm neonates. The association of intracranial hemorrhage and ventriculomegaly was found statistically significant in low birth weight and normal birth weight preterm neonates. Further research is warranted to rule out the underlying factors behind this association.