Background and aims Convulsions occur more frequently in the neonatal period than at any other time.

Aims Study the clinical, etiological, therapeutic aspects and the outcome of neonatal convulsions.

Methods We report a retrospective analysis of 51 cases of neonatal convulsions between 2009 and 2013.

Results The sex-ratio was 1.1. Prematurity was found in 8 patients. The Apgar score was lower or equal to 7 in the first minute in 16 cases. The average age of the first convulsion was 9 days. The motive of admission was convulsion in 35 cases (66%). It was a convulsive status epilepticus in 4 cases. The neurological examination was pathological in 27 cases. A metabolic balance sheet, lumbar puncture were realised in every case, cranial ultrasound scan (34 cases), cerebral CT scan (19 cases), electroencephalography (29 cases) and MRI (16 cases). Causes of neonatal convulsions were: hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (13 cases), hypoglycemia (7 cases), hyponatraemia (6 cases), hypocalcemia (4 cases), pyridoxine dependency (1 case), meningitis (5 cases), hypertension (1 case), ischaemic stroke (1 case), cerebral haemorrhage (3 cases), anomaly of the urea cycle (1 case), West syndrome (2 cases) and idiopathic neonatal convulsions (7 cases). The treatment was etiological in 23 cases. The outcome was favourable in 37 cases, 4 patients died and variable sequelae were found in 10 cases.

Conclusion This study emphasises the variability of aetiology of neonatal convulsions and the necessity of the etiological diagnosis on which will depend the prognosis.