[Atypical benign partial epilepsy of childhood. Clinical follow-up EEG study of 3 patients]

Between 369 cases of benign partial epilepsy of the childhood with Rolandic spikes (BECRS) diagnosed in our hospital, we have been able to study three patients that have presented a neurophysiological and clinical presentation that was compatible with the form described by Aicardi and Chevrie in 1982.

None of our patients had familial epilepsy precedents. There were no pathological birth or previous neurological disorders. The neurophysiological development was normal until the beginning of the clinical picture. The seizures began when the patients were 3 years and 4 months, and 5 years, with partial seizures of the same characteristic that present patients with BECRS. Two of them had generalized tonic-clonic seizures during sleep. All the patients presented throughout the evolution absences myoclonic and/or atonic seizures. The awake EEG patterns showed normal background activity and paroxysms of focal spike were complexes with diffusion to central areas. During the slow wave sleep, every cases showed paroxysms of diffuse and generalized slow spike and wave complexes practically continuous. The partial seizures were scarce, but the absences and the atonicas seizures presented several times every day, and in one case appeared in the form of a grand mal state.

The evolution of the patients was favourable, as they were free of seizures, with a normal neurophysiological development. At the beginning, the seizures were resistant to treatment with several antiepileptics drugs (AED). The treatment with valproic acid (VPA) and clonazepam (CZP), has been very effective.