[A follow-up study of idiopathic status convulsivus in childhood]

We studied the prognosis of twenty-five idiopathic status convulsivus (SC) patients. They were neurologically normal before the onset, and had the first episode of idiopathic SC, defined as a seizure with a duration of longer than 30 minutes, febrile in 18 cases and afebrile in 7 cases. We excluded acute encephalitis, encephalopathy and past history of epilepsy in all patients. The age of the first SC ranged from 3 months to five years and 3 months (median; 1 year and 9 months). They were followed successively for a period of 3 years to 15 years and two months (median 8 years and 7 months). The final diagnosis was epilepsy in 7 cases, epilepsy border in 11 cases, and febrile convulsion in 7 cases. One patient showed a remarkable learning disability, but no patients had psychomotor retardation. Antiepileptic drugs were given 24 patients, all of whom were well controlled, including 17 cases with successful withdrawal of these drugs. In our febrile convulsion cases, there was no more than one risk factor for the development of epilepsy (Awaya). The prognosis of febrile SC cases was favorable.