title: [A diagnostic controversy: the significance of 14-6/sec positive spikes in clinical electroencephalography].
abstract: There has been a great dealt of discussion as to the clinical significance of E.E.G. 14-6 per second positive spikes (14-6 PS), a short burst lasting one second or less which occurs during light sleep in monopolar recordings, mainly in the posterior temporal regions and usually involving the parietal and occipital regions as well, for the most part in unsymmetrical fashion. Early interpretations stress the epileptic nature of vegetative attacks in patients with an inter-critical E.E.G. reading characterized by 14-6 P.S. Subsequently, however, this hypothesis has been refuted, mainly because E.E.G. intra-critical recordings have never shown evidence of any sort of paroxysmal activity. At present time expert think that the presence of 14-6 PS may be merely an indication of an electrical alteration associated with disorders in the neurovegetative area. In order to evaluate the possibility of using them as a diagnostic marker of migraine equivalents and periodic syndromes, we reviewed wake and sleep E.E.G. recordings, carried out consecutively and hence not selectively, in 617 children aged 5-16 years. 14-6 PS were present in 109 children (17.6%), 63 of whom showed evident symptoms of periodic syndrome (headache, recurrent abdominal pain, cyclic vomiting, kinetosis, etc.); hence 46 E.E.G. recording were false positive. 510 children were lacking in 14-6 PS, 91 of these presented symptoms of periodic syndromes (false negative). 14-6 PS are hence a marker 40.9% sensitive, 90.1% specific, with a predictable value of 57.7%. The search for 14-6 PS in children with periodic syndrome is not particularly sensitive as a test, but it is fairly specific: it may well constitute an useful element in diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: U.O. Pediatria, Ospedale di Lucca, Italia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Domenici
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meossi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stefani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology
vernacular_title: Un problema controverso: il significato delle punte positive di 14-6 c/sec nella elettroencefalografia clinica.