[Complex partial seizures: the localization value of automatisms]

The clinical findings in complex partial crises may help our understanding of the different foci and vias of epileptogenesis.

We analyse automatisms and findings on EEG and neuroimaging in 151 patients with different types of partial epilepsy, seeking to establish a possible correlation between the type of automatism and cerebral localization.

The relative frequency of automatisms was: oro-alimentary 30%, mimicking 11%, gestures 35%, ambulatory 19% and verbal 13%. There was a statistically significant difference between the type of automatism and the topography of the EEG and neuroimaging findings. There were more gesture and oro-alimentary automatisms in patients with temporal anomalies, both on EEG and on neuroimaging, than in those with extratemporal alterations.