title: The risk of lower mental outcome in infantile spasms increases after three weeks of hypsarrhythmia duration.
abstract: To assess the correlation between hypsarrhythmia duration and mental outcome in infantile spasms (IS) the medical records of 48 infants with IS were reviewed retrospectively and psychological assessments undertaken at follow-up at the age of 3 to 13 years. We found 18 (38%) cryptogenic IS cases with typical hypsarrhythmia and 30 symptomatic with modified hypsarrhythmia-further classified into 15 cases as multifocal, 10 as pseudoperiodic and 5 as unilateral hypsarrhythmia. A short treatment lag (one to two weeks) occurred in 25, three to four weeks in 10 cases. Spasms ceased within one month after treatment in 23 infants. At follow-up 15 children had normal mental outcome (borderline included). A correlation between hypsarrhythmia duration longer than three weeks and lower mental outcome was found using the logistic regression model. The duration of hypsarrhythmia represents a sensitive prognostic parameter in IS; the risk of mental retardation increases after three weeks of hypsarrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Neurology, University Children's Hospital, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. zvonka.rener@mf.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: Zvonka Rener
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Primec
authors.forename: Janez
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stare
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neubauer
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants