[From historical EEG to signal treatment: applications in childhood epilepsy]

Electroencephalography is a fundamental investigation for the characterization of an epilepsy. It remains a unique way for the evaluation of a cortical activity in real time. The classification of epileptic syndromes is based on electroclinical correlations. The characterization of EEG abnormalities is essential for establishing a specific syndromic diagnosis. Discussing the historical evolution of EEG techniques we show how the recent development of numerized EEG provided the medical community with very useful and simple tools for the treatment of EEG signals. These tools are now integrated in everyday clinical practice. Several methods are presented, illustrating potential applications in childhood epilepsies.