Benign myoclonic epilepsy in childhood. A case report

Benign myoclonic epilepsy of childhood is a rare syndrome which appears at between 4 months and 3 years of age. The prognosis is good if diagnosed and treated early. It is characterized by many short crises (usually of 3 seconds and not more than 5-10 seconds long), proximal and cephalic jerking mov...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inRevista de neurologiá Vol. 25; no. 144; p. 1210
Main Authors Ribacoba-Montero, R, Salas-Puig, J
Format Journal Article
LanguageSpanish
Published Spain 01.08.1997
Subjects
Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use
Child
Electroencephalography
Epilepsies, Myoclonic - diagnosis
Epilepsies, Myoclonic - drug therapy
Female
Humans
Sleep, REM
Valproic Acid - therapeutic use
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Benign myoclonic epilepsy of childhood is a rare syndrome which appears at between 4 months and 3 years of age. The prognosis is good if diagnosed and treated early. It is characterized by many short crises (usually of 3 seconds and not more than 5-10 seconds long), proximal and cephalic jerking movements without falling to the ground, and at no particular time of the day. In the EEG polygraph background activity continues and crises coincide with generalized spike and wave or multiple spike and wave discharges of 1 to 2 seconds, accompanied by isolated myoclonic movements in the neck and deltoid muscles, which persist during NREM sleep. Benign epilepsy of childhood usually responds to monotherapy with valproic acid. In our case photosensitivity appeared at 7 years of age with persistence of generalized spikes and waves during sleep. We suggest that photosensitivity may be used as an index of the clinical course, and that treatment should continue to be given until photosensitivity disappears.
ISSN:0210-0010