CT in simple partial seizures in children: a clinical and computed tomography study

Introduction – Therapeutic relevance of computed tomography (CT) in children with simple partial seizures (SPS) is reported to be remarkably low (1–2%). There are no studies, however, from the developing countries where neuroinfections are among important causes of seizures. The present study from India is aimed at evaluating the significance of CT in the management of SPS in children and to determine the difference in clinical features of children with and without focal brain lesions in CT. Patients and methods – CT scans of all patients aged 15 years or younger with SPS, seen over a period of 15 months, were reviewed. The clinical features of the patients with focal lesions in the CT were compared with those of children without focal abnormalities. Results – Focal structural lesions were present in 117 (59.09%) of 198 children. These included: solitary contrast enhancing CT lesion – 16.16%, focal calcification – 12.12%, cysticercosis – 10.10%, focal atrophy – 9.59%, tuberculoma – 6.56% and infarction – 6.06%. Neuroinfections or their sequelae were responsible for seizures in 89 children (44.94%). There were no statistically significant differences in clinical features of patients with and without focal lesions in CT. Conclusion – CT study in children with SPS in developing countries has significant therapeutic relevance. It is not possible to clinically differentiate children with focal lesions from those without focal lesions in CT.