• Luca Filippi, Patrizio Fiorini, Marta Daniotti, Serena Catarzi, Sara Savelli, Claudio Fonda, Laura Bartalena, Antonio Boldrini, Matteo Giampietri, Rosa Scaramuzzo, Paola Papoff, Francesca Del Balzo, Alberto Spalice, Giancarlo la Marca, Sabrina Malvagia, Maria Luisa Della Bona, Gianpaolo Donzelli, Francesca Tinelli, Giovanni Cioni, Tiziana Pisano, Melania Falchi, and Renzo Guerrini.
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Medical Surgical Feto-Neonatal Department, A. Meyer University Children's Hospital, Viale Pieraccini, 24, I-50139, Florence, Italy. l.filippi@meyer.it
• Bmc Pediatr. 2012 Jan 1;12:144.

BackgroundDespite progresses in neonatal care, the mortality and the incidence of neuro-motor disability after perinatal asphyxia have failed to show substantial improvements. In countries with a high level of perinatal care, the incidence of asphyxia responsible for moderate or severe encephalopathy is still 2-3 per 1000 term newborns. Recent trials have demonstrated that moderate hypothermia, started within 6 hours after birth and protracted for 72 hours, can significantly improve survival and reduce neurologic impairment in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. It is not currently known whether neuroprotective drugs can further improve the beneficial effects of hypothermia. Topiramate has been proven to reduce brain injury in animal models of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. However, the association of mild hypothermia and topiramate treatment has never been studied in human newborns. The objective of this research project is to evaluate, through a multicenter randomized controlled trial, whether the efficacy of moderate hypothermia can be increased by concomitant topiramate treatment.Methods/DesignTerm newborns (gestational age ≥ 36 weeks and birth weight ≥ 1800 g) with precocious metabolic, clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) signs of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy will be randomized, according to their EEG pattern, to receive topiramate added to standard treatment with moderate hypothermia or standard treatment alone. Topiramate will be administered at 10 mg/kg once a day for the first 3 days of life. Topiramate concentrations will be measured on serial dried blood spots. 64 participants will be recruited in the study. To evaluate the safety of topiramate administration, cardiac and respiratory parameters will be continuously monitored. Blood samplings will be performed to check renal, liver and metabolic balance. To evaluate the efficacy of topiramate, the neurologic outcome of enrolled newborns will be evaluated by serial neurologic and neuroradiologic examinations. Visual function will be evaluated by means of behavioural standardized tests.DiscussionThis pilot study will explore the possible therapeutic role of topiramate in combination with moderate hypothermia. Any favourable results of this research might open new perspectives about the reduction of cerebral damage in asphyxiated newborns.

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