Atypical EEG pattern in children with absence seizures

Padrão atípico no EEG de crianças com crises de ausência

Atypical EEG pattern in children with absence seizures

Padrão atípico no EEG de crianças com crises de ausência

Délrio F. Silva^I; Márcia Marques Lima^II; Renato Anghinah^II; Edmar Zanoteli^III; José Geraldo Camargo Lima^IV

^IHead of the EEG Sector, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM)

^IIJunior Doctor of the EEG Sector

^IIIResident in Neurology

^IVFull Professor and Head of the Discipline of Neurology, EPM

SUMMARY

We studied four children with diagnosis of absence seizures (generalized primary epilepsy), and with a generalized delta activity on the EEG during clinical attacks provoked by hyperventilation. The lack of ictal generalized spike-and-wave discharges with a frequency of 3 Hz in our patients, makes this an atypical pattern. All children had complete control of their seizures and disappearance of the EEG changes with valproate. We concluded that generalized delta activity observed on EEG during the hyperventilation in children should not always be considered as a normal finding for age, since it could be an ictal event of an absence seizure.

Key words:epilepsy, absence seizures, EEG, hyperventilation, delta activity.

RESUMO

Estudamos quatro crianças com o diagnóstico de crises de ausência (epilepsia generalizada primária) e com atividade delta generalizada no EEG, durante crises provocadas pela hiperpnéia. A ausência de descargas generalizadas por complexos ponta-onda a 3 Hz, durante as crises de nossos pacientes, é achado incomum. Todas as crianças tiveram completo controle de suas crises com o valproato, assim como o desaparecimento das alterações no EEG. Concluimos que a atividade delta generalizada observada no EEG de crianças durante a hiperpnéia nem sempre deve ser vista como achado normal, podendo ser um evento crítico da crise generalizada ausência.

Palavras-chave: epilepsia, crises de ausência, EEG, hiperventilação, atividade delta.

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Aceite: 2-janeiro-1995.

Dr. Délrio Façanha da Silva - Setor de Eletrencefalografia, Disciplina de Neurologia Clínica, Escola Paulista de Medicina - Rua Botucatu 740 - 04023-900 São Paulo SP - Brasil.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  20 Jan 2011
• Date of issue
  June 1995