Prognosis of partial epileptic seizures in the adolescent

Actuarial analysis was applied to the notes of 235 patients having a partial seizure for the first time between the ages of 12 and 18 years to establish the best predictive indicators of outcome. Among the factors considered to affect significantly the outcome were the seizure type (elementary or complex symptomatology), the initial EEG, the seizure frequency, the etiological factors, and an association with generalized seizures. Sex, age of onset, and topography of EEG paroxysmal abnormalities had no significance. An algorithm allows the prediction of the prognosis of these seizures at two different times immediately after a first seizure in some cases and after a 1-year survey in others.