Benign focal epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS): clinical characteristics of seizures according to age at first seizure

Abstract

-BECTS is characterized by the presence of simple partial motor seizures in the face and/or oropharynx, with or without sensory symptoms and often with secondary generalization. These seizures tend to occur more often during sleep or drowsiness. According to some authors, generalized seizures prevail over other types particularly among children aged five or less. The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of the first epileptic episode among children with BECTS, grouped by age as of their first epileptic seizure, as well as to analyze how such seizures change over the course of clinical evolution. A total of 61 children were examined, 16 of whom below the age of 5 and 45 above. With regard to the first and recurrent epileptic episodes, our final assessment showed that partial seizures occurred more frequently than generalized tonicclonic seizures in both groups. Although no conclusive relation could be established between the type of partial seizure (i.e. simple versus complex) and the children's age as of their first epileptic episode, it was possible to correlate the type of epileptic seizure with their clinical evolution, in which case simple partial seizures proved to be more frequent than complex partial seizures. It should be noted that the number of children under the age of five was relatively small, which evinces the need for further studies. It should also be borne in mind that the reported frequency of generalized seizures in these children's first epileptic episode may be due to their parents' lack of attention and familiarity with this pathology and their attendant difficulty in characterizing its clinical symptoms.KEY WORDS: childhood benign focal epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, orofacial epileptic seizure, nocturnal epileptic seizure, oropharyngeal epileptic seizure, rolandic epilepsy.Epilepsia focal benigna da infância com ponta centrotemporal (EBIPCT): características clínicas de acordo Epilepsia focal benigna da infância com ponta centrotemporal (EBIPCT): características clínicas de acordo Epilepsia focal benigna da infância com ponta centrotemporal (EBIPCT): características clínicas de acordo Epilepsia focal benigna da infância com ponta centrotemporal (EBIPCT): características clínicas de acordo Epilepsia focal benigna da infância com ponta centrotemporal (EBIPCT): características clínicas de acordo com a idade na primeira crise epiléptica com a idade na primeira crise epiléptica com a idade na primeira crise epiléptica com a idade na primeira crise epiléptica com a idade na primeira crise epiléptica RESUMO -EBIPCT é caracterizada pela presença de crises focais motoras simples envolvendo a musculatura da face e da orofaringe, com ou sem sintomas sensitivos e, muitas vezes com generalização secundária. Estas crises epilépticas tendem a ocorrer durante o sono ou a sonolência. Alguns autores referem o predomínio de crises generalizadas, especialmente nas crianças com menos de 5 anos de idade. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a característica da primeira crise ep...

Oral dyspraxia in self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: a comparative study with a control group

“…The participants were divided into two groups: Group 1the experimental group consisted of 74 children with typical SLCT, according to ILAE 7 , and group 2 -the control group consisted of 239 children without epilepsy. Groups were similar in age, sex, and schooling, verified by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p>0.10 for all variables) and by the Kruskal-Wallis test (p=0.17).…”

“…Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SLCT) or Rolandic epilepsy, previously considered benign focal childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, is the most common form of self-limited or drug-responsive focal epilepsy 1,2,3 . It represents almost 15% of all childhood epilepsy cases and 13 to 25% of new-onset epilepsy in children, beginning between 2 and 12 years of age (peak incidence around 6 to 7 years) 2,4,5 , and predominantly in males 6,7 ; it is not associated with an underlying structural lesion 8 . The abnormalities observed in the electroencephalogram (EEG) are probably associated with an autosomal dominant inheritance with age-related penetrance 9 and consist of centrotemporal spikes (CTS), focal, high-amplitude central or mid-temporal surface negative spike, or sharp waves followed by slow waves.…”

Electroencephalographic generalized features in idiopathic childhood focal epilepsies

“…Diagnosis was based on strict inclusion criteria, including a history of focal seizures, a normal neurological examination, normal brain MRI, and supportive EEG findings. 8 A careful syndromic classification was made using clinical manifestations, such as unilateral facial sensory-motor symptoms or oro-pharyngo-laryngeal symptoms for BCECTS patients 9 ; autonomic symptoms for those with PS; and visual hallucination, blindness, eyeball deviation, or ictal headache for children with ICOE-G. 10 In total, 172 patients with BCECTS and 48 with BEOP including 32 with PS and 16 with ICOE-G were identified.…”

Time Interval between First and Last Epileptic Seizures and Electroencephalogram Normalization in Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes: Influencing Factors

“…The symptoms observed during the seizures may vary considerably from child to child and, in some cases, from one episode to another. 8 In most cases, seizures are infrequent, have a short duration, usually lasting only 2 to 3 minutes, and occur during sleep (nonrapid eye movement), without impaired awareness. The main clinical manifestations of seizures consist of unilateral facial sensory (numbness) and/or motor (clonic contractions) symptoms, involvement of the oropharyngeallaryngeal, including dysarthria (due to loss of the power and coordination of the musculature responsible for the articulation of words) and sialorrhea (autonomic manifestation).…”