Long-term outcome of resective epilepsy surgery in Norwegian children

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of resective surgery on children with difficult-to-treat epilepsy in Norway. Methods: In the period 1995–2004, 64 surgical procedures (54 resections and 10 functional hemispherotomies) were performed in 54 children. The children’s medical records were retrospectively reviewed at a minimum of 2 years after surgery. We sent a questionnaire regarding their epilepsy (seizures, usage of antiepileptic drugs) and general functioning (social situation, motor, language, cognition, behavioural or emotional problems, any remedial action) to the children/parents after a mean follow-up period of 7 years. Results: 55.5% of the children were seizure-free. The success rate varied according to the type of surgery. Best results were found after functional hemispherotomies and temporal lobe resections, as nine of 10 (90%) and 10 of 19 (53%) of these patients, respectively, became seizure-free. In addition to a better seizure control, 71% of the children/parents reported of a better cognitive and psychosocial functioning. Conclusion: The results of epilepsy surgery in this paediatric cohort are very edifying, and it is our impression that this treatment option is underused in Norway.     

Epilepsy surgery in children with accompanying impairments

The aim of this study was to assess seizure outcome 2 years after epilepsy surgery in a consecutive series of paediatric patients, with special focus on children with learning disabilities and other neuroimpairments in addition to the epilepsy.Outcome 2 years after surgery was assessed in 110 of 125 children operated upon for drug resistant epilepsy in Gothenburg 1987–2006.More than half of the children had learning disabilities, 43% motor impairments and 30% a neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Fifty-six per cent of those with an IQ < 70 became seizure-free or had a >75% reduction in seizure frequency, and two thirds if the operation was a resection. The corresponding figure in those with more than 100 seizures per month was 15 out of 31, and another seven had a 50–75% reduction in seizure frequency.The message is that learning disability, motor impairment and psychiatric morbidity should not be contraindications for paediatric epilepsy surgery. More than half of the children with learning disabilities had a worthwhile seizure outcome, with even better results after resective surgery. Children with drug resistant epilepsy and additional severe neurological impairments should have the benefit of referral to a tertiary centre for evaluation for epilepsy surgery.     

Real-time functional MR imaging (fMRI) for presurgical evaluation of paediatric epilepsy

Background The role of fMRI in the presurgical evaluation of children with intractable epilepsy is being increasingly recognized. Real-time fMRI allows the clinician to visualize functional brain activation in real time. Since there is no off-line data analysis as in conventional fMRI, the overall time for the procedure is reduced, making it clinically feasible in a busy clinical sitting. Objective (1) To study the accuracy of real-time fMRI in comparison to conventional fMRI with off-line processing; (2) to determine its effectiveness in mapping the eloquent cortex and language lateralization in comparison to invasive procedures such as intraoperative cortical stimulation and Wada testing; and (3) to evaluate the role of fMRI in presurgical decision making in children with epilepsy. Materials and methods A total of 23 patients (age range 6–18 years) underwent fMRI with sensorimotor, visual and language paradigms. Data processing was done in real time using in-line BOLD. Results The results of real-time fMRI matched those of off-line processing done using the well-accepted standard technique of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) in all the initial ten patients in whom the two techniques were compared. Coregistration of the fMRI data on a 3-D FLAIR sequence rather than a T1-weighted image gave better information regarding the relationship of the lesion to the area of activation. The results of intraoperative cortical stimulation and fMRI matched in six out of six patients, while the Wada test and fMRI had similar results in four out of five patients in whom these techniques were performed. In the majority of patients in this series the technique influenced patient management. Conclusion Real-time fMRI is an easily performed and reliable technique in the presurgical workup of children with epilepsy.     

伴高热惊厥史的儿童癫痌病例分析

分析伴高热惊厥史的癫痌患儿的临床特点,探讨高热惊厥脑损伤及其与颞叶癫痌的关系。 方法对1996～1999年本院儿科神经病房480例住院癫痌患儿进行回顾性分析,包括首发年龄、家族史、持续时 间、癫痌发作类型、神经影像学及脑电图改变等。结果115例(23.9％)患儿有前期高热惊厥史。伴高热惊厥史 的患儿癫痌发作早且易于出现癫痌持续状态。与无高热惊厥史的患儿相比,伴高热惊厥史的患儿强直-阵挛发作 较多,复杂部分性发作较少。408例患儿曾行影像学检查,4例提示有海马硬化者均无高热惊厥史。在伴高热惊厥史 的癫痌患儿中脑电图局灶起源的异常放电显著低于无高热惊厥史的癫痌患儿。有6.08％(7/115)伴高热惊厥史的癫 痌惠儿和6.84％(25/365)无高热惊厥史的癫痌患儿脑电图表现为单纯颞叶异常放电,二组相比无明显差异。结论 在癫痌患儿中,高热惊厥可能伴有脑损伤,且可能与后期的癫痌发生有关,伴高热惊厥史者不一定发展为颞叶癫痌。     

Neurological investigation of 5-year-old children with low birthweight.

139 children with a low birthweight (LBW), i.e. not more than 2 500 g, were examined at 5 years of age in respect of their neurological status, with special reference to motor coordination according to Touwen & Prechtl. 5 (3.6%) children had cerebral palsy; 13 (9.4%), minimal brain dysfunction; 38 (27.3%), delayed motor maturation; and 83 (59.7%), normal motor development and normal neurological status. Impairment of hearing and of vision, epilepsy and mental retardation were more common in children with cerebral palsy and MBD. Children with MBD and delayed motor maturation had a lower IQ, as judged from the draw-a-mantest according to Goodenough than children with normal neurological status. Cerebral palsy was found in children with a very low birthweight and short gestational age. Other findings were equally distributed among groups classified by weight and duuration of gestation.     

经药物治疗的癫痫在学儿童的学习前景:500例调查分析

目的 了解治疗中的在学癫痫儿童之学习状况和升学概况。方法 随机收集规则治疗并随访的癫痫在学儿童资料(1980～1995年)500名,所有患儿均接受抗癫痫药物治疗3年以上,并随访其发作情况及学习情况。包括小学阶段500名及其后升入初中阶段100名的学习情况;此外另调查100名儿童初中毕业后去向。结果 最终能完成小学阶段学习的癫痫儿童共477名(95.4％);癫痫组与健康组儿童小学成绩因前者留级人次较多而有显著差异(P<0.05);100名初中毕业儿童中有62人升人高中。在学癫痫儿童经治疗一年内能控制发作者占68％,其中部分儿童学习良好。结论 上述研究结果对癫痫儿童及与之相关的社会人群鼓舞很大。对这一慢性、发作性疾病儿童的疾病控制、学习问题和心理特征方面需予特殊关注,以有效改善学习状况,利于今后的择业和生活质量。     

Developmental-behavioral dysfunction in preschool children. Descriptive analysis of a pediatric consultative model.

A study of 79 preschool children referred to an interdisciplinary clinic because of behavioral problems and developmental concerns was done. Historical data and information regarding present functioning were collected using standard questionnaires. In addition to medical, neurological, and psychiatric examinations, every child received a neurodevelopmental assessment. When compared with a matched cohort of children from the community, the clinic population had a higher incidence of developmental concerns. Of 37 children referred because of "hyperactivity" or other behavioral concerns, 13 had previously undetected developmental concerns requiring specific interventions. Dysfunction in preschool children may be the result of an ongoing reciprocal interaction between constitutional predispositions and social and environmental factors. A comprehensive, developmentally oriented approach seems to be indicated in the assessment of these children. This may have implications for pediatric practice.     

Is the International League Against Epilepsy classification of epileptic syndromes applicable to children in Estonia?

The concept of the epileptic syndrome has had a practical and research impact on the management of patients with epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to verify the applicability of the International Classification of Epilepsies and Epileptic Syndromes in children and adolescents in Estonia. A population-based study was performed between January 1995 and December 1997 in seven counties. Only cases involving children between the ages of 1 month and 19 years with at least two unprovoked seizures were included. In all, 560 children and adolescents were referred to the Children's Hospital of the University of Tartu. A syndrome diagnosis was made in 550 (98.2%) cases: (49.4%) were localization-related (6.4% idiopathic, 18.9% symptomatic, 24.1% cryptogenic). Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes was present in 33 (5.9%) and childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms in three (0.5%); 48.4% were generalized (28.8% idiopathic, 5.7% cryptogenic or symptomatic, 14% symptomatic). Childhood absence epilepsy was present in 6.4%, juvenile absence in 2.0%, juvenile myoclonic in 0.7% and epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures on awakening in 17.7%. West syndrome was diagnosed in 1.4%, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in 2.9% of the cases. In 0.4% of the cases it was undetermined whether seizures were focal or generalized. In 8.8% of the cases there were atypical features so they were classified as 'other symptomatic generalized epileptic syndromes not defined above' and 1.8% of the cases were unclassified. Specific neurological diseases were diagnosed in 5.0% of cases. Thus, the International Classification of Epilepsies and Epileptic Syndromes was very applicable to children and adolescents in Estonia.     

Seizure and cognitive outcomes of epilepsy surgery in infancy and early childhood

AimsTo investigate seizure and developmental outcomes following epilepsy surgery in very young children and determine their predictive factors.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the clinical data, surgical variables, and outcomes of 30 children under 3 years of age that underwent resection for refractory focal epilepsy in our institution in 2001–2011.ResultsSeizure onset was in the first year of life in 27 (90%) cases and mean age at surgery was 20 months (range 5–33.6). Pathology consisted of cortical malformations in 24 (80%) cases, glioneuronal tumour and infarction with or without cortical dysplasia in three (10%) cases each. Morbidity was comparable with older paediatric cohorts. At 1–11.6 year follow-up (mean 4.1) 21 of 30 (70%) children achieved seizure freedom (Engel I), six (20%) demonstrated worthwhile improvement (Engel II/III) and three (10%) did not benefit from surgery (Engel IV). Intralobar lesionectomy more often resulted in seizure freedom than multilobar or hemispheric surgery. The abundance of non-regional interictal and ictal EEG findings did not preclude seizure freedom. Presurgical developmental impairment was established in 25 of 28 (89%) children; its severity correlated with longer epilepsy duration and determined postoperative developmental outcome. Developmental progress was established in 26 out of 28 (93%) children following surgery, showing stabilized trajectories rather than catch-up.ConclusionsResective surgery in very young children is safe and effective in terms of seizure control and developmental progress. Our findings underline the importance of early intervention in order to timely stop seizures and their deleterious effects on the developing brain.     

Paroxysmal non-epileptic events in children: a retrospective study over a period of 10 years

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency, nature and clinical characteristics of paroxysmal non-epileptic events in children diagnosed by video electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring at a tertiary referral centre. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study of children with paroxysmal non-epileptic events, aged 2 weeks to 17 years inclusive was undertaken. The study group consisted of children who had video EEG monitoring during a 10-year period (1988-99). Telemetry files, medical charts, events recorded on video and record sheets were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 666 children were analysed, 269 had epileptic events recorded, 285 had non-epileptic events and 112 had no events recorded. In children with non-epileptic events, 43% were developmentally delayed, 25% had an abnormal neurological examination and 40% had epilepsy. In the study sample an epileptiform interictal EEG was common (24%). The major subgroups of non-epileptic events were: staring (34%), sleep phenomena - benign sleep myoclonus (15%), arousals (13%), motor tics (11%) and shuddering (7%). Developmental delay (57%) was common in children who presented with staring spells. A diagnosis of a specific non-epileptic event was reached in 96% of cases. CONCLUSION: Paroxysmal non-epileptic events can cause diagnostic confusion, particularly in children with developmental delay, epilepsy or an epileptiform EEG. Accurate diagnosis can be reached in the majority of cases using video EEG monitoring.     

�����������

??The role of a neuropsychological assessment in the routine care of children with epilepsy is to provide anobjective information of cognitiveand psychological function,whichcan provide clues tothe lateralization or localization of the function lesion and the epileptic zone. It’s aspecifialjob to evaluate the neuropsychological status for children with epilepsy. The
objective of this review is to introduce the neuropsycholoical assessment methods including a core set of cognitive and
psychological domains that should beassessed to provide an
objective account of intelligence quotient??attention??nonverbal cognitive function??executive function??somatosensory and motor function??memory function and Wada test??etc. Clinicians should be aware of the content of the core cognitive function screening.     

����̱�������ϲ���ڼ�32���ٴ�����

目的探讨合并癫疒间的脑性瘫痪患儿的临床特点及癫疒间治疗效果。方法总结1999年10月至2004年5月在西安交通大学第二医院住院的合并癫疒间的脑性瘫痪患儿的癫疒间发生率、临床类型、头颅计算机体层成像(CT)和(或)磁共振成像(MRI)、脑电图等方面的特点以及抗癫疒间治疗效果。结果139例脑性瘫痪患儿中有32例合并癫疒间,占23.0%(32/139);常见的癫疒间类型为强直阵挛发作12例(37.5%)和部分性发作6例(18.8%);25例(78.1%)癫疒间首发于1岁前;合并癫疒间脑性瘫痪儿童的头颅影像异常及脑电图异常分别占30例(93.8%)和27例(84.4%);常见的头颅影像异常为脑发育不良11例(36.7%)、脑积水6例(20.0%),余为脑萎缩、缺氧缺血性脑病样改变等13例(43.3%);脑电图异常中局灶性和弥漫性所占比例分别为48.2%(13/27)和51.8%(14/27);癫疒间多发生于痉挛性脑性瘫痪中(68.8%);81.3%(26/32)的癫疒间需要2种及2种以上的抗癫疒间药物治疗。结论脑性瘫痪患儿中癫疒间的发生率较高,其头颅影像学和脑电图分别以脑发育不良和弥漫性背景活动异常伴疒样波发放为主;脑性瘫痪儿童的癫疒大多为难治性,需要联合用药治疗。     

Agenesis of the corpus callosum. Clinical features in 40 children

Forty children with partial agenesis of the corpus callosum have been prospectively identified and followed up for up to 15 years. Additional physical anomalies and diagnoses were frequent. At the time of diagnosis, the majority of children were developmentally delayed or retarded. If callosal agenesis was diagnosed during infancy, most children had or subsequently developed seizures. Older patients had a more favorable outcome and were less likely to develop epilepsy.     

Chronically ill children and their mothers: predictors of resilience and vulnerability to hospitalization and surgical stress

Although the responses of normal children to hospitalization and surgery are well documented, an understanding of base rates of upset, the mediating factors involved, and the efficacy of interventions with chronically ill children has not yet been achieved. Using self-report and observational measures, we investigated the effects of hospitalization and surgery on 40 physically handicapped children and their mothers. The results suggest that, compared with normal children, chronically ill children as a group are not more likely to become disturbed. With regard to individuals, extremely high and low parenting stress, over-involved parent-child relationships, fewer previous surgeries, and younger age predicted greater disturbance. Mothers of developmentally delayed children reported feeling more anxious than mothers of children with normal mental ages, but no differences were found on child vulnerability.     

��ͯ���������������Ӧ֤������ʱ��ѡ��

??Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder in children. Among them?? about 20% are drug resistant. Epilepsy surgery is often the most effective treatment option for medically intractable epilepsy. Although there are many common features between pediatric and adult epilepsy surgery??there are also many differences unique to children in etiology?? neuro-imaging?? electrical-clinical features and operative techniques. These differences are critical during the many stages of the pediatric epilepsy surgery?? especially for choosing correct surgical indications and timing. On the other hand?? the presurgical discussion and decision should be best performed at a special pediatric epilepsy center with the input of a team of pediatric neurologists?? surgeons and some other specialists.     

Passive language mapping with magnetoencephalography in pediatric patients with epilepsy

Object Functional mapping is important for determining surgical candidacy and also in epilepsy surgery planning. However, in young children and uncooperative patients, language mapping has been particularly challenging despite the advances in performing noninvasive functional studies. In this study the authors review a series of children with epilepsy who underwent language mapping with magnetoencephalography (MEG) while sedated or sleeping, to determine receptive language localization for presurgical evaluation. Methods The authors undertook a retrospective review of patients who underwent MEG between December 2007 and July 2009, and identified 15 individuals who underwent passive language testing as part of their presurgical evaluation because they were unable to participate in traditional language testing, such as Wada or functional MRI. Factors necessitating passive language testing included age and neurocognitive development. Results Three of the 15 patients were deemed candidates for epilepsy surgery based on the results from standard preoperative testing, including video electroencephalography, MRI, and passive receptive language testing using MEG technology. The MEG studies were used successfully to localize language in all 3 patients, creating opportunities for seizure freedom through surgery that would not otherwise have been available. All 3 patients then underwent resective epilepsy surgery without experiencing postoperative language deficits. Conclusions This case series is the first to look at language mapping during sleep (passive language mapping) in which MEG was used and is the first to evaluate passive language testing in a patient population with intracranial pathological entities. This case series demonstrates that MEG can provide an alternative method for receptive language localization in patients with barriers to more traditional language testing, and in these 3 cases surgery was performed safely based on the results.     

Factors predicting the risk of relapse after antiepileptic drug discontinuation in children with partial seizures

The purpose of this study is to identify possible factors which could influence the seizure recurrence after anti-epileptic drug (AED) withdrawal in children with partial epilepsy. AED was discontinued in 82 children who had been free of partial epileptic seizures for 2.0–11.0 years (mean 4.7 years). Twenty-four patients (29.3%) had a relapse from a few days to 6.1 years (mean 1.2 years) after AED discontinuation. Significantly more common in children who relapsed were: younger age at beginning of AED withdrawal, occurrence of complicated febrile convulsions (5/24 vs 1/58,P<0.01), abnormal neurological examination (8/24 vs 8/58,P<0.05), delayed psychomotor development (7/24 vs 7/58,P<0.05), focal slowing (6/24 vs 3/58,P<0.01) and focal epileptiform discharges (7/24 vs 6/58,P<0.05) in the last EEG before AED discontinuation. Between the two groups no statistical significant differences no statistical significant differences concerning the age at onset of seizures, the duration at AED therapy after the last seizure, the familial occurrence of epilepsy and background EEG abnormalities in the last EEG before AED discontinuation were found. On the basis of EEG, occurrence of febrile convulsions, and neurological and developmental examination it may be possible to predict which children have the best chance to remain free of recurrence after AED discontinuation.Presented in part at the European Congress of Epileptology, Oporto, Portugal, September 6–10, 1994     

癫癎和热性惊厥患儿血清褪黑素水平的变化及其临床意义

目的：探讨癫癎和热性惊厥患儿血清褪黑素水平的变化及其临床意义,为褪黑素用于癫癎和热性惊厥的治疗提供依据。方法：该研究分为对照组,即上呼吸道感染发热无惊厥患儿;热性惊厥组,其中又分为单纯性热性惊厥(SFS组)和复杂性热性惊厥(CFS组);癫癎组。采用酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)分别测定各组血清褪黑素水平。结果：癫癎和复杂性热性惊厥患儿血清褪黑素水平分别为8.66±1.38和14.91±2.61 ng/L,均显著低于对照组的23.93±2.01 ng/L,差异有显著性(P<0.01),单纯性热性惊厥患儿血清褪黑素水平为20.72±2.54 ng/L,低于对照组,但差异无显著性意义(P>0.05);癫癎患儿血清褪黑素水平明显低于热性惊厥患儿,差异有显著性(P<0.01)。结论：癫癎和复杂性热性惊厥患儿血清褪黑素水平降低。补充外源性褪黑素可能是治疗儿童癫癎和热性惊厥的一个新途径。［中国当代儿科杂志,2009,11（4）：288-290］     

婴幼儿难治性癫痫的早期外科治疗对智力的影响

目的 探讨婴幼儿难治性癫痫外科手术的适应证、方法 和预后.方法 回顾性分析了2000年1月至2008年1月间,采用外科手术治疗54例婴幼儿难治性癫痫的经验. 结果 术后疗效按Engel分级,Ⅰ级为18例,Ⅱ级15例,Ⅲ级13例,Ⅳ级8例,有效率为81.5%,优良率61.1%.术后1～2年智力检查Gesell评分大多有不同程度的提高. 结论 外科手术是治疗婴幼儿难治性癫痫的良好手段.对于智力发育停滞或恶化的婴幼儿癫痫患者,如果临床判断有难治倾向应考虑进行外科治疗.     

Operant acuity of toddlers and developmentally delayed children with low vision

The present report describes an operant procedure for the assessment of grating acuity in young and/or developmentally delayed children. Prior to testing, the child was trained to point to a grating presented on one of two equally bright screens. A reward was given to the child for each correct response. During the test, the gratings became progressively finer until the child no longer made consistently correct choices. Normative data from 90 children show improvement in grating acuity during years one to five (from 20/50 to 20/17). Results were also obtained from 100 consecutive pediatric patients who were thought to be visually unresponsive or visually impaired by the referring ophthalmologist. Overall, 12% of these children tested within the normal range, 53% had grating acuities better than 20/200 but below normal, 27% had acuities below 20/200, and 8% were not measurable. These results suggest that a wide range of visual potential exists in this population and that some of these children may benefit from visual aids and training.