[Clinical observation and long-term follow-up of benign infantile epilepsy].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate clinical characteristics, EEG changes and therapeutic response of benign infantile epilepsy and to study the early diagnostic methods.


METHODS
Clinical observation and Video-EEG monitoring were carried out in babies with convulsions at 3 - 24 months of age. In these children, febrile convulsion, symptomatic epilepsies and developmental abnormalities were excluded, and the therapeutic effect and long-term outcome were followed up.


RESULTS
Forty-two babies were diagnosed to have benign infantile epilepsy by two-year follow-up. Three of them had familial history of benign infantile convulsions. Nineteen percent had mild diarrhea during the onset of convulsions, cluster seizures occurred during a short period in 67% of cases and no status epilepticus occurred. Video-EEG monitoring confirmed seizures originating from temporal, occipital or multifocal areas separately in 3 patients with partial seizures. Interictal EEG background was normal and there were Rolandic small spikes during sleep in 24% of patients. Thirty-nine patients were treated with single antiepileptic drugs and the mean treatment course was 9 months. Three cases did not take medicine. All the patients were seizure free within a year.


CONCLUSIONS
Benign infantile epilepsy should be considered when the following characteristics occur in early stage of the disease: (1) convulsions occurring between 3 to 12 month of age and not later than 24 months of age with or without familial history of benign infantile convulsion; (2) normal psychomotor development before and after convulsion occurs; (3) no evoked factors or only mild diarrhea; (4) majority of cases have partial seizures, or secondary generalized seizures. There are often cluster convulsions during the onset stage, but no status epilepticus; (5) normal EEG background and there may be Rolandic small spikes during sleep; (6) normal neuroimaging.
Liu
Xiao-yan
XY
Department of Pediatrics, First Hospital, Beijing University, Beijing 100034, China.
Jiang
Yu-wu
YW
Wu
Ju
J
Feng
Bao-rong
BR
Zhang
Yi-ping
YP
Lin
Qing
Q
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000927:Anticonvulsants