[Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in children - a case report]

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are paroxysmal attacks that resemble and are often misdiagnosed as epileptic seizures, but are not associated with abnormal cortical electrical discharge. PNES are one of the most important differential diagnosis of epilepsy. However, despite the fact that they are recognized as a specific clinical phenomenon and that the appearance of video-EEG enabled clinicians to set a definitive diagnosis, our understanding of the etiology, present brain processes and resulting classification, nosology and treatment are quite deficient. PNES is a physical manifestation of psychological disorders, and as such belongs to the type of conversion disorders which are not under the influence of voluntary control. Studies in the pediatric population showed a higher incidence of remission than in adults, probably due to the shorter duration of illness and psychopathology, as the causes of stress are different in pediatric patients than in adults. This paper shows two cases in children with PNES, which were treated at the Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka.