Characteristics and Prognosis of Epilepsy in Children With Cerebral Palsy

The aims of the study were to describe the prevalence and characteristics of epilepsy in a population of patients with cerebral palsy in a university referral center and to determine the rate of relapse caused by discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs after a 3-year seizure-free period. A total of 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of child neurology 1999-05, Vol.14 (5), p.289-294
Main Authors: Zafeiriou, Dimitrios I., Kontopoulos, Eleftherios E., Tsikoulas, Ioannis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy - complications
Cerebral Palsy - diagnosis
Cerebral Palsy - epidemiology
Child
Cognitive Development
Control Groups
Electroencephalography
Epilepsy
Epilepsy - complications
Epilepsy - diagnosis
Epilepsy - epidemiology
Humans
Intellectual Disability - complications
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Prevalence
Prognosis
Prospective Studies
Recurrence
Seizures
Severity of Illness Index
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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Summary:The aims of the study were to describe the prevalence and characteristics of epilepsy in a population of patients with cerebral palsy in a university referral center and to determine the rate of relapse caused by discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs after a 3-year seizure-free period. A total of 178 consecutive patients with cerebral palsy and epilepsy were prospectively followed for 9.2 ± 2.4 years after onset of seizures and compared to a control group of 150 epileptic patients without cerebral palsy (median follow-up period, 10.5 years). The overall prevalence of epilepsy was 36.1%. Patients with atonic-diplegic, dystonic, tetraplegic, and hemiplegic cerebral palsy had a higher incidence of epilepsy (87.5%, 87.1%, 56.5%, and 42%, respectively). In all, 134 (75.3%) patients were seizure free for more than 3 years and could discontinue therapy, whereas 44 patients (24.7%) were still on antiepileptic drugs. Eighteen of 134 patients relapsed after a 3-year seizure-free period and subsequent discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs, thus giving a relapse rate of 13.4%. First seizures occurred during the first year of life in 69.7% of the patients with epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Complete control of seizures could be achieved in 65.2% of the patients with cerebral palsy and epilepsy; however, regardless of the prognosis of seizures, epilepsy was a major prognostic factor regarding both the presence of mental retardation and the motor development of children with cerebral palsy. (J Child Neurol 1999;14:289-294).
ISSN:0883-0738
1708-8283
DOI:10.1177/088307389901400504