ELECTROCLINICAL STUDY OF LOCALIZATION-RELATED EPILEPSIES IN EARLY INFANCY

To clarify the characteristics of localization-related epilepsies in e arly infancy, we performed an electroclinical study of 28 epileptic pa tients whose first seizures occurred before 6 months of age. The patie nts were retrospectively divided into two groups: the seizure-controll ed group (8 patients) and the refractory group (20 patients). The seiz ure-controlled group included the patients whose seizures were suppres sed within 1 year after onset; the refractory group included all other patients. The characteristics of the refractory group were as follows : (1) most patients had serious underlying pathologies; (2) the seizur e type in most cases was simple partial seizure or complex partial sei zure without secondary generalization; (3) the interictal EEG showed f ocal abnormalities and severe dysrhythmia on the basic pattern associa ted with multifocal spikes in most cases; and (4) in some patients, We st syndrome developed after localization- related epilepsies and gener alized seizures appeared later in some cases. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Sci ence Inc.