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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
Published on: January 11, 2016
[Hemiparetic cerebral palsy and startle epilepsy]
R Caraballo1, M Semprino, R Cersósimo
1Servicio de Neurología, Hospital de Niños Prof Dr JP Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina. rcaraballo@janssen.com.ar
Revista De Neurologia
|January 31, 2004
Summary
Startle epilepsy (SE) in hemiparetic cerebral palsy is often refractory to medication. Epileptic surgery offers a promising treatment option for these challenging cases.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Epileptology
- Pediatric Neurology
Context:
- Hemiparetic cerebral palsy (CP) can be associated with specific epileptic syndromes.
- Startle epilepsy (SE) presents unique electroclinical features in patients with CP.
- Understanding the evolution and treatment response in SE is crucial for patient management.
Purpose:
- To analyze the electroclinical features and treatment outcomes of nine patients with hemiparetic cerebral palsy and SE.
- To investigate the etiology, seizure semiology, EEG, neuroimaging, and response to treatment in this patient cohort.
- To evaluate the efficacy of antiepileptic drugs and surgical interventions for SE in hemiparetic CP.
Summary:
- Nine patients with hemiparetic CP and SE were studied, with etiologies including porencephaly and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
- Patients experienced daily, focal, and often provoked startle seizures, frequently accompanied by mental retardation and falls.
- Standard antiepileptic drugs were ineffective, but two patients achieved seizure freedom after epilepsy surgery.
Impact:
- SE should be recognized as a distinct epileptic syndrome or a specific electroclinical presentation in unilateral brain lesion patients.
- Refractory seizures in this population suggest a poor response to medical management.
- Epileptic surgery should be strongly considered as a therapeutic option for SE in hemiparetic cerebral palsy.
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