Post-traumatic epilepsy in children requiring inpatient rehabilitation following head injury
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
Use of a Wireless Video-EEG System to Monitor Epileptiform Discharges Following Lateral Fluid-Percussion Induced Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: June 21, 2019
1The Roald Dahl EEG Unit, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK. richard.appleton@rlch-tr.nwest.nhs.uk
Insights
Post-traumatic epilepsy is uncommon in children with severe head injuries. Early seizures after head trauma may increase the risk of developing late post-traumatic epilepsy.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neurotrauma
- Epileptology
Background:
- Severe head injuries in children can lead to long-term neurological complications.
- Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) is a significant concern following traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of post-traumatic epilepsy in children with severe head injuries.
- To identify potential risk factors associated with the development of PTE in this pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for children admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit over seven years.
- Inclusion criteria: severe head injury and subsequent development of late epilepsy.
- Data collected included injury details, early seizure occurrence, Glasgow Coma Scale scores, and neuroimaging findings.
Main Results:
- Nine out of 102 children (9%) developed post-traumatic epilepsy.
- The onset of PTE ranged from 8 months to over 5 years post-injury.
- Early seizures within the first week after injury (p=0.002) and Glasgow Coma Scale score (p=0.043) were identified as significant risk factors for late PTE.
Conclusions:
- Post-traumatic epilepsy is relatively uncommon in children even after severe head injuries.
- The presence of early seizures following head trauma is a key indicator for increased risk of developing late post-traumatic epilepsy.
Objective:
To study the prevalence of, and identify possible risk factors for, the development of post-traumatic epilepsy in a cohort of children with severe head injury treated in an inpatient rehabilitation unit.
Methods:
The hospital and community medical case notes of all children admitted prospectively to the unit and the records of the clinical EEG department over a seven year period were reviewed to identify those children who had developed late epilepsy after head injuries.
Results:
102 children received inpatient rehabilitation between 1 June 1991 and 28 February 1998. Follow up of these patients ranged from 18 months to over eight years. Nine patients (9%) developed post-traumatic epilepsy between eight months and over five years after the head injury. Three of the nine patients had experienced early tonic-clonic seizures in the first week after the injury. Other risk factors examined included the age of the patient, the cause of the head injury, initial Glasgow coma scale score, neuroimaging findings, and duration of ventilatory support. Only the presence of early seizures (p = 0.002) and possibly the Glasgow coma scale score (p = 0.043) were found to be specific risk factors for late late epilepsy.
Conclusions:
Post-traumatic epilepsy appears to be uncommon, even in children with severe head injuries. Early seizures may indicate increased risk of developing late post-traumatic epilepsy in this study population.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
01:20Seizures l: Introduction
01:22Epilepsy ll: Types