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Characteristics and prognosis of epilepsy in children with cerebral palsy

D I Zafeiriou1, E E Kontopoulos, I Tsikoulas

  • 1First Pediatric Clinic, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. jeff@med.auth.gr

Journal of Child Neurology
|May 26, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Epilepsy affects over a third of cerebral palsy patients, with a 13.4% relapse rate after stopping antiepileptic drugs post-seizure freedom. Epilepsy significantly impacts cognitive and motor development in these individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Cerebral palsy (CP) is frequently associated with epilepsy, impacting patient outcomes.
  • Understanding epilepsy prevalence and characteristics in CP is crucial for management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and characteristics of epilepsy in patients with cerebral palsy (CP).
  • To assess the relapse rate of epilepsy after discontinuing antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) following a 3-year seizure-free period in CP patients.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective follow-up of 178 CP patients with epilepsy for 9.2 years.
  • Comparison with a control group of 150 epileptic patients without CP.
  • Analysis of seizure recurrence after AED discontinuation in seizure-free patients.

Main Results:

  • Overall epilepsy prevalence in CP was 36.1%.
  • Higher epilepsy incidence observed in atonic-diplegic, dystonic, tetraplegic, and hemiplegic CP subtypes.
  • A 13.4% relapse rate occurred after AED discontinuation in 134 seizure-free CP patients.
  • Epilepsy was a significant factor for mental retardation and motor development in CP.

Conclusions:

  • Epilepsy is highly prevalent in CP and associated with specific subtypes.
  • A notable proportion of CP patients experience epilepsy relapse after AED withdrawal.
  • Epilepsy significantly influences the long-term prognosis and developmental trajectory of children with CP.

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