title: Nonepileptic paroxysmal events in a pediatric population.
abstract: Nonepileptic paroxysmal events in children are common, and may be more diverse in etiology than those seen in adults. We determined the types of nonepileptic events that are most prominent in the pediatric population, and stratified those events by age group. Ninety-four of 416 pediatric patients monitored during a 3-year period (23%) were found to have had nonepileptic events. Thirty-eight percent of these children were diagnosed with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, and 72% of those were adolescents. In children younger than 5 years of age, behavioral events and parasomnias were the most common mimickers of epilepsy. Other events, including stereotyped movements and myoclonus, were also diagnosed. We suggest that children with refractory paroxysmal events should be considered for early inpatient monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA. ekutluay@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Ekrem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kutluay
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Selwa
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Minecan
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beydoun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*