title: Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: Relationship between type of seizures and response to medication in a Greek population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is considered to be the most common childhood epileptic syndrome. We studied the relationship between the type of seizures and response to medication in a Greek population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 60 neurodevelopmentally normal children diagnosed with BECTS. Children were subdivided into three groups, based on type of seizures: Group A comprised 32 children with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, Group B 19 children with focal seizures and Group C 9 children with focal seizures with secondary generalization. All patients in the present study were started on an antiepileptic medication after the third seizure (sodium valproate, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine), and we studied the response to medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  10 from 13 (76.92%) of patients in Group A, 13 from 15 (86.66%) patients in Group B, and all 6 patients (100%) in Group C started carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine had a favorable respond. Similarly, 16 from 19 (84.2%) of patients in Group A, 3 from 4 patients (75%) in Group B, and 1 from 3 patients (33.3%) in Group C, started sodium valproate responded well to medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of children responded well to the first antiepileptic treatment and had a favorable outcome, regardless of type of seizures. 88.3% of children became seizure free by 1 or 2 years after seizure onset. These findings are indicative that the type of seizures has no major effect neither in response to antiepileptic treatment or in the final outcome. Further research in a larger number of children is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gkampeta
authors.affiliation: Department of General Biology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fidani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zafeiriou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pavlou
keywords: Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes; children; medication; response