Seizures and electroencephalography findings in 61 patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

• Published in: European journal of medical genetics Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 72 - 78
• Main Authors: Boronat, S, Vicente, M, Lainez, E, Sánchez-Montañez, A, Vázquez, E, Mangado, L, Martínez-Ribot, L, del Campo, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Masson SAS 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Alcohol-related; Cavum septum pellucidum; Child; Child, Preschool; EEG; Electroencephalography; Epilepsy; Epilepsy - chemically induced; Epilepsy - diagnostic imaging; Epilepsy - physiopathology; ESES; Female; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders - physiopathology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical Education; Neuroimaging - methods; Pregnancy; Seizures; Seizures - chemically induced; Seizures - diagnostic imaging; Seizures - physiopathology; Septum Pellucidum - diagnostic imaging; Septum Pellucidum - drug effects; Cavum septum pellucidum; Alcohol-related; ESES; EEG; Epilepsy; Seizures
• ISSN: 1769-7212; 1878-0849
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2016.09.012

Abstract Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) cause neurodevelopmental abnormalities. However, publications about epilepsy and electroencephalographic features are scarce. In this study, we prospectively performed electroencephalography (EEG) and brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in 61 patients with diagnosis of FASD. One patient had multiple febrile seizures with normal EEGs. Fourteen children showed EEG anomalies, including slow background activity and interictal epileptiform discharges, focal and/or generalized, and 3 of them had epilepsy. In one patient, seizures were first detected during the EEG recording and one case had an encephalopathy with electrical status epilepticus during slow sleep (ESES). Focal interictal discharges in our patients did not imply the presence of underlying visible focal brain lesions in the neuroimaging studies, such as cortical dysplasia or polymicrogyria. However, they had nonspecific brain MR abnormalities, including corpus callosum hypoplasia, vermis hypoplasia or cavum septum pellucidum. The latter was significantly more frequent in the group with EEG abnormal findings (p < 0.01).