[Structural MR of the brain changes in infants with epilepsy]

Epilepsy in first year of life needs constant attention due to diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties.

The aim of the study was to identify cause of symptomatic epilepsy in infants from młopolskie and podkarpackie provinces hospitalized in Pediatric Neurology Clinic of Children and Adolescents Neurology Cathedra UJ in Cracow.

110 children with epilepsy aged from 1 week to 24 months hospitalized between 1st of January 2006 and 31st of December 2009. The group included 55 girls and 55 boys. On the basis of clinical characteristics and results of neuroimaging synptomatic epilepsy was diagnosed. Perinatal burdening was cause of epilepsy in 35/ 110. Other causes were identified in 34/ 110 children and in remaining 41/110 children the cause was not established.

Developmental effects syndrome was diagnosed in 17 children, in cases 6 neurocutaneous syndromes, in 2 inflamatory CSN involvement and in 1 asphyxia were the cause of epilepsy. In children in infancy generalized seizures were diagnosed the most often and facal and polymorphic seizures were less often.

1. Widely using MR scan provides better recognition structural background of symptomatic epilepsy. 2. Brain atropy was the most often found change. 3. The most often cause of symptomatic epilepsy in the first year of life was pathology of perinatal period. 4. Generalized seizures were the most often manifestation of early childhood epilepsy.