title: The epileptiform significance of intermittent rhythmic delta activity in childhood.
abstract: Intermittent rhythmic delta activity is reported in various disorders and is classified as a nonspecific abnormal electroencephalographic pattern. We have investigated its clinical and electroencephalographic features in childhood. Intermittent rhythmic delta activity was identified in 54 children over a period of 48 months. Epilepsy was present in 81%, 4% had only a single generalized tonic-clonic seizure, and 15% had no seizures. Generalized seizures were more common than partial seizures (83% versus 13%; 4% were mixed). The largest group of patients had idiopathic epilepsy. Epileptiform features were present in 70%. No patient identified prospectively has had a space-occupying lesion. Intermittent rhythmic delta activity should be considered an epileptiform pattern in children, most commonly occurring as an interictal pattern in primary generalized epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Section of Child Neurology, St Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Riviello
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Foley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003700:Delta Rhythm; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed