Pediatric and Neonatal EEG Flashcards
6 cards from real EEG practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Pediatric and Neonatal EEG flashcards as text
At what age does the posterior dominant rhythm typically reach the adult alpha frequency range of 8 Hz?
Answer: 3 years
The posterior dominant rhythm gradually increases from approximately 3-4 Hz in infancy to 8 Hz by around age 3 years, continuing to increase to the full adult range of 8-13 Hz by approximately age 8-10 years.
Tracé alternant is a normal EEG pattern seen in which population?
Answer: Healthy term neonates during quiet sleep
Tracé alternant is a normal discontinuous pattern in healthy full-term neonates during quiet (non-REM) sleep, consisting of alternating bursts of high-amplitude mixed activity and lower-amplitude periods.
What is the most important factor in interpreting a neonatal EEG?
Answer: The conceptional age (gestational age plus postnatal age) of the infant
Conceptional age is the single most important factor in neonatal EEG interpretation because normal EEG patterns change dramatically with brain maturation, and age-inappropriate patterns indicate abnormality.
Which neonatal EEG pattern is considered highly abnormal and suggests severe encephalopathy?
Answer: Burst-suppression with interburst intervals showing isoelectric or near-isoelectric activity
Burst-suppression is a severely abnormal neonatal EEG pattern with bursts of high-voltage mixed activity separated by nearly isoelectric periods, indicating severe diffuse cerebral dysfunction from hypoxic-ischemic injury, metabolic disorders, or other causes.
Anterior dysrhythmia (frontal sharp transients) in a premature neonate at 34 weeks conceptional age is considered:
Answer: A normal developmental feature (encoches frontales) expected at this age
Anterior dysrhythmia (encoches frontales or frontal sharp transients) is a normal developmental pattern in premature neonates from approximately 34-36 weeks conceptional age, appearing as bilateral frontal sharp waves during quiet sleep.
In pediatric EEG, the hyperventilation response in children differs from adults in that:
Answer: Children typically show a more prominent and prolonged buildup response with higher amplitude slowing
Children demonstrate a more robust hyperventilation buildup response than adults, with more prominent high-amplitude generalized slowing that may persist longer after cessation. This is normal and should not be mistaken for pathology.