title: Differentiating between benign and less benign: epilepsy surgery in symptomatic frontal lobe epilepsy associated with benign focal epileptiform discharges of childhood.
abstract: Benign focal epileptiform discharges of childhood are a genetically determined electroencephalographic trait. Assessment of their clinical relevance in children with epilepsy may be difficult if imaging reveals a lesion congruent or incongruous with the focus of the benign focal epileptiform discharges of childhood. This article reports a boy with parietooccipital benign focal epileptiform discharges of childhood in whom videoelectroencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging disclosed symptomatic frontal lobe epilepsy. Surgical removal of a focal cortical dysplasia in the left frontal lobe yielded freedom from seizures and positive behavioral and cognitive development. Nocturnal benign focal epileptiform discharges of childhood persisted until puberty (follow-up, 50 months). Early diagnostic differentiation of idiopathic syndromes such as idiopathic benign focal epilepsy of childhood from symptomatic focal epilepsies with a potentially less benign course is important. In symptomatic frontal lobe epilepsy, epilepsy surgery may yield an excellent outcome despite the presence of concurrent benign focal epileptiform discharges of childhood.
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. altenm@nz.ukl.uni
authors.forename: Dirk-Matthias
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Altenmüller
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulze-Bonhage
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D017034:Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D011612:Psychosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D014742:Videodisc Recording / Q000379:methods