title: Gelastic epilepsy without hypothalamic hamartoma: three additional cases.
abstract: We describe three children with gelastic seizures without hypothalamic hamartoma whose seizures were characterized by typical laughing attacks associated or not with other seizure types. Ictal/interictal EEG and magnetic resonance imaging were performed. All three subjects showed a good response to carbamazepine therapy with complete seizure control in addition to a benign clinical and cognitive outcome. These three cases confirm that gelastic epilepsy without hypothalamic hamartoma, both in cryptogenic or symptomatic patients (one child showed a dysplastic right parietotemporal lesion), usually has a more benign natural history, and carbamazepine seems to be the most efficacious therapy to obtain both immediate and long-term seizure control. These findings need to be confirmed in a larger sample of children affected by gelastic epilepsy without hypothalamic hamartoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pavia University Fondazione, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savasta
authors.affiliation: Paediatric and Child Neurology Unit, Cava de' Tirreni AOU S. Giovanni di Dio e Ruggiero d'Aragona Hospital, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Budetta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pavia University Fondazione, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Valentina
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Spartà
authors.affiliation: Paediatric and Child Neurology Unit, Cava de' Tirreni AOU S. Giovanni di Dio e Ruggiero d'Aragona Hospital, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Carpentieri
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department, Chair of Neuroradiology, Faculty of Medicine & Psychology, La Sapienza University, c/o Sant' Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trasimeni
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pavia University Fondazione, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Niki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zavras
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department, Child Neurology, Chair of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Psychology, Sant' Andrea Hospital, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: NESMOS Department, Child Neurology, Chair of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Psychology, Sant' Andrea Hospital, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: pasquale.parisi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parisi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001519:Behavior; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007027:Hypothalamic Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002220:Carbamazepine
keywords: Cryptogenic epilepsy; Focal epilepsy; Gelastic epilepsy; Gelastic seizures; Hypothalamic hamartoma