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Neuromonitoring has been widely accepted as an important part in neonatal care. Amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are often mentioned in this context, though being only a part of the fully array of methods and examinations that could be considered neuromonitoring. Within the broad array of medical conditions that could be encountered in a neonatal patient, it is important to be aware of the indications for neuromonitoring and especially which neuromonitoring technique to use best for the individual condition. aEEG is now a widely accepted neuromonitor in neonatology with its value in hypoxic events and seizures only rarely questioned. Other methods like NIRS still have to prove themselves in the future. The SafeBoosC-III trial showed that it still remains difficult for some of these methods to prove their value for the improvement of outcome. Bute future developments such as multimodal neuromonitoring with data integration and artificial intelligence analysis could improve the value of these methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodevelopmental outcome after prematurity is crucial. The aim was to compare two amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) classifications (Hellström-Westas (HW), Burdjalov) for outcome prediction. We recruited 65 infants ≤32 weeks gestational age with aEEG recordings within the first 72 h of life and Bayley testing at 24 months corrected age or death. Statistical analyses were performed for each 24 h section to determine whether very immature/depressed or mature/developed patterns predict survival/neurological outcome and to find predictors for mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI) at 24 months corrected age. On day 2, deceased infants showed no cycling in 80% (HW, p = 0.0140) and 100% (Burdjalov, p = 0.0041). The Burdjalov total score significantly differed between groups on day 2 (p = 0.0284) and the adapted Burdjalov total score on day 2 (p = 0.0183) and day 3 (p = 0.0472). Cycling on day 3 (HW; p = 0.0059) and background on day 3 (HW; p = 0.0212) are independent predictors for MDI (p = 0.0016) whereas no independent predictor for PDI was found (multiple regression analyses).Conclusion: Cycling in both classifications is a valuable tool to assess chance of survival. The classification by HW is also associated with long-term mental outcome. What is Known: •Neurodevelopmental outcome after preterm birth remains one of the major concerns in neonatology. •aEEG is used to measure brain activity and brain maturation in preterm infants. What is New: •The two common aEEG classifications and scoring systems described by Hellström-Westas and Burdjalov are valuable tools to predict neurodevelopmental outcome when performed within the first 72 h of life. •Both aEEG classifications are useful to predict chance of survival. The classification by Hellström-Westas can also predict long-term outcome at corrected age of 2 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]