Abnormal Visual Evoked Potential Response from Hypoglycemic Encephalopathy in Two Neonates

ABSTRACT

Although neonatal hypoglycemia is a common metabolic abnormality in newborn infants, brain injuries resulting from isolated neonatal hypoglycemia are rare. Many infants who are hypoglycemic do not exhibit clinical manifestations, while other infants are symptomatic and at risk for permanent brain damage. There is no disagreement that hypoglycemia can cause neonatal encephalopathy and result in permanent brain injury. Occipital brain injury associated with neonatal hypoglycemia can result in long-term disability, epilepsy, and visual impairment. Infants should receive ongoing developmental and visual surveillance for late- onset epilepsy, and visual or cognitive impairment. We report two cases of newborn infants with abnormal visual evoked potentials (VEP) caused by neonatal hypoglycemic encephalopathy.