Benign pediatric localization-related epilepsies
Author: Chahine LM, Mikati MA
Source:
Epileptic disorders, 8(4), 243-258.
By definition, benign epilepsy syndromes occur in patients with no significant
prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal complications, normal psychomotor development
and negative laboratory and neuroimaging work-up, respond well to therapy, and
remit without sequeale. The benign localization-related epilepsy syndromes of
childhood include benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes,
Panayiotopoulos syndrome and Gastaut-type idiopathic childhood epilepsy with
occipital paroxysms. Some patients initially presumed to have these or, for that
matter, other benign syndromes in other age groups, follow a less typical course
and continue to experience seizures or to exhibit neuropsychological deficits.
Thus the diagnosis of a "possible" or "probable" benign epilepsy syndrome may
need to be applied to patients initially suspected of having such syndromes until
follow-up shows that they clearly follow a benign course. In Part I (Chahine and
Mikati 2006) of our two-part review article, we discussed benign
localization-related syndromes encountered in infancy. In this second part, we
review the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, neuropsychological features,
EEG findings, work-up and diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, genetics,
management and prognosis of the three childhood-onset syndromes. In addition, we
discuss their occasional overlap with or progression into other syndromes.