Benign Childhood Partial Seizures and Related Epileptic Syndromes

Book excerpt: The most important advance in recent epileptology is the recognition of epileptic syndromes and diseases, most of which are well defined and easy to diagnose. The benign childhood partial seizures syndromes exemplify the importance of a precise diagnosis and classification of epilepsies. They are common, and have an excellent prognosis which is better than that of febrile convulsions. Paediatricians and clinical neurophysiologists are now familiar with the Rolandic seizures but are not yet accustomed to diagnosing other benign childhood partial seizures and in particular benign childhood occipital seizures which are often confused with cerebral insults or migraine. The aim of this reference book is to describe the clinical and EEG manifestations of benign childhood partial seizures with particular emphasis on the occipital seizures which are often more characteristic, easier to diagnose and, in some cases, more benign than Rolandic seizures.