[Diagnostic value of periodic lateralized complexes in the EEG (author's transl)]

Periodic lateralized discharges (PLDs) were studied in 68 patients. Seventy nine percent had seizures, mostly of the partial motor type, and 62 percent showed signs of acute seizure activity. In the majority of cases, localizing signs were present at neurological examination or in structural tests. Among the etiological causes, vascular accidents, chronic seizure disorders, space occupying lesions, CNS infections and several other disorders could be identified. None of the EEG characteristics were linked to any clinical variables except the mode of appearance of PLDs. Episodically occuring PLDs correlated to chronic seizure disorders. For pathophysiological explanations, a relationship to the clonic phase of a convulsive seizure was stressed.