title: Ethosuximide-induced conversion of typical childhood absence to Rolandic spikes.
abstract: Coexistence of 2 idiopathic epilepsy syndromes (ie, childhood absence and Rolandic epilepsy), as evidenced by electroencephalographic (EEG) findings with or without clinical features of the 2 conditions, is uncommon and remains controversial. Few case reports support this coexistence either as a continuum or drug-induced conversion, whereas a large sample case review did not find such co-occurrence. The authors report a case of conversion of typical absence to Rolandic spikes after treatment with ethosuximide. An 11-year-old girl was diagnosed with typical childhood absence epilepsy at the age of 6 years with classic clinical and EEG features. She became seizure-free on ethosuximide but her follow-up EEGs consistently recorded right centrotemporal and centroparietal spikes without associated clinical seizures. This case may suggest simultaneous presence of these 2 common childhood idiopathic epilepsies either as a continuum or a drug-induced conversion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
authors.forename: Chinekwu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anyanwu
authors.forename: Forough
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghavami
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schuelein
authors.forename: Gholam K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Motamedi
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019305:Epilepsy, Rolandic / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005013:Ethosuximide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D005013:Ethosuximide