Long-term EEG in patients with the ring chromosome 20 epilepsy syndrome

The recognizable electroencephalography (EEG) pattern of ring chromosome 20 epilepsy syndrome can be missing in patients with r(20) chromosomal anomaly, and may be found in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy of other origin. This study aims to search for more specific EEG signs by using long-term recordings and measuring the duration of paroxysmal anomalies. The series included 12 adult patients with r(20) anomaly, and 12 controls without any chromosomal aberration. We measured the duration of every paroxysmal burst and calculated the sum of their durations for each long-term EEG recording. We compared patients to controls using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Every patient showed long-lasting paroxysmal EEG bursts, up to 60 min; controls did not show any bursts longer than 60 s (p < 0.0001). The total duration of paroxysmal anomalies was significantly longer in patients (31-692 min) compared to controls (0-48 min) (p < 0.0001). Thus, long-term recordings enhance the contribution of EEG methods for characterizing the ring 20 chromosome epilepsy syndrome.