Pyretotherapy as treatment in West's syndrome

Four cases of West's syndrome (generalized myoclonic spasms, arrest of psychomotor development and hypsarrhythmia) which were found to be resistant to the classical treatment (ACTH, prednisone, nitrazepam, clonazepam, etc.) are reported. In these cases, high fever (pyretotherapy) induced by TBA vaccine (typhoid and paratyphoid) was used. Within the next eight days following treatment with pyretotherapy, the clinical conditions of these children showed a gradual decrease of generalized myoclonic spasms and an improvement of their mental and neurological status. The follow-up electroencephalograms showed cessation of the hypsarrhythmia. The study of these cases and their electro-clinical correlates suggests that pyretotherapy is a useful procedure in this extremely disabling condition.