Risk factors for late posttraumatic epilepsy

The usually accepted risk factors for late post-traumatic seizures (LPTS) are those identified years ago by Jennet: early post-traumatic seizure (EPTS), depressed fracture, intracranial haematoma. Prolonged unconsciousness (PTA greater than 24 hrs) is another factor usually added. More recently, personal experience of the Authors and the data of the literature, compel us to question the validity of known risk factors based on clinical data. Authors believe that the identification of patients at risk for LPTS depends mainly on the precise definition of trauma severity and on CT or surgically documented lesions of brain substance. Three groups of patients, characterized by the presence of one or more of the accepted risk factors of LPTS, have been studied. In our experience, while in adults the presence of documented cortico-subcortical lesions represents the main risk factor of LPTS, in children the appearance of EPTS per se increases the risk of LPTS, irrespective of the presence of documented brain lesions. Alteration of consciousness without a focal lesion, even if prolonged and severe, is not a risk factor for LPTS.