Long-term follow-up of patients with benign partial epilepsy in infancy.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcome of children with benign partial epilepsy in infancy (BPEI).


METHODS
A telephone-interview survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted with patients who were diagnosed as having possible BPEI at age 2 years and who were 8 years or older at the time of the survey. The data from 39 of 48 patients were available. The median age at the time of the survey was 11.3 years; 18 boys and 21 girls were included.


RESULTS
Three patients had a recurrence of unprovoked seizure beyond age 2 years. Four patients had cognitive problems (mild mental retardation in three and Asperger syndrome in one). An association of paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis was observed in three patients, and another three had experienced seizures associated with mild gastroenteritis. Major behavioral problems were not recognized in any patients. Four patients were excluded from having definite BPEI at age 5 years, and another two were excluded for having definite BPEI at the last follow-up. Eventually, 33 of 39 patients were categorized as having definite BPEI beyond 8 years of age.


CONCLUSIONS
A large majority of patients diagnosed as possibly having BPEI at age 2 years did not have a recurrence of unprovoked seizures and cognitive problems beyond 8 years of age.
Okumura
Akihisa
A
Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan. okumura@ed.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Watanabe
Kazuyoshi
K
Negoro
Tamiko
T
Hayakawa
Fumio
F
Kato
Toru
T
Maruyama
Koichi
K
Kubota
Tetsuo
T
Suzuki
Motomasa
M
Kurahashi
Hirokazu
H
Azuma
Yoshiteru
Y
D000367:Age Factors; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D020936:Epilepsy, Benign Neonatal; D017029:Epilepsy, Complex Partial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic