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Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy
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Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy

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Peri-ictal and inter-ictal headache in children and adolescents with idiopathic epilepsy: a multicenter

Alberto Verrotti1, Giangennaro Coppola, Alberto Spalice

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti, Italy.

Child'S Nervous System : Chns : Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery
|March 30, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Headache is common in children with epilepsy, with post-ictal headaches being most frequent. Migraine features are prevalent in these headaches, particularly in those with partial epilepsy.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology
  • Headache Medicine

Background:

  • Headache affects 8-15% of the epileptic population.
  • Understanding headache comorbidity in epilepsy is crucial for diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the clinical and temporal characteristics of primary headache comorbidity in children with idiopathic epilepsy.
  • To analyze the association between epilepsy type and headache features.

Main Methods:

  • A multi-center, cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2006 to June 2009 in five Italian Child Neurology University Centers.
  • 142 children (aged 5-15) with newly diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy were evaluated for headache according to International Headache Society Criteria.
  • Children with 'ictal epileptic headache' as the sole manifestation were excluded.

Main Results:

  • Post-ictal headaches were most frequent (62%), followed by inter-ictal (57.6%) and pre-ictal headaches (30%).
  • Migrainous features were present in 93% of pre-ictal and 81.4% of post-ictal headaches.
  • The association between partial epilepsy and migraine without aura was common (82% of peri-ictal and 76.5% of post-ictal headaches).

Conclusions:

  • Headache is a significant comorbidity in children with idiopathic epilepsy, often presenting with migrainous features.
  • Post-ictal headaches are the most common type, frequently associated with migraine characteristics.
  • A strong link exists between partial epilepsy and migraine without aura in this pediatric population.
Abstract

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