CLINICAL-STUDY ON LOCALIZATION-RELATED EPILEPSY IN INFANCY WITHOUT UNDERLYING DISORDERS

A clinical study of 15 patients without underlying disorders whose fir st seizures occurred before 1 year of age was performed to determine t he characteristics of localization-related epilepsies in infancy, The patients were retrospectively divided into two groups: the seizure-con trolled group (10 patients) and the refractory group (five patients). The seizure-controlled group included patients whose seizures were con trolled completely within 1 year after onset; the refractory group inc luded all other patients. The characteristics of the refractory group were as follows: (1) interictal electroencephalography showed focal ab normalities, particularly on the left side, and (2) ail of the patient s exhibited developmental retardation, Even in the seizure-controlled group, 40% of the patients exhibited developmental retardation, and an of them were indistinguishable from patients with benign complex part ial epilepsies in infancy at the onset of the seizures, Aggressive tre atment should be re-evaluated for early-onset localization-related epi lepsies. (C) 1998 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.