[Longitudinal study of foci of peak potentials in children followed since birth (premature and newborn infants at term)]. / Etude longitudinale des foyers de points apparues chez des enfants suivis depuis la naissance (prématurés et nouveaux-nés à terme).

ABSTRACT

The most significant results obtained in this study are as follows Our group, in which the premature infants constitute one half, very often shows peak potential foci in the brain-current diagram. This applies in particular to premature infants at 2 years of age. What is remarkable is the group of 21 normal children among the 88 children, of whom the majority show peak potentials after 2 years. It is impossible to decide whether these peaks signify a lesion or a functional disorder only. From practical considerations it follows that the presence of peaks in children under 2 years of age is a serious symptom; such peaks should not be treated with barbiturates, as it is possible for them to disappear spontaneously. Long-drawn-out observations made in a period of four to five years have shown that epilepsy is a rare occurrence in children showing peaks in their brain-current diagrams between 2 and 5 years of age. The peak potential does not indicate a disease, but is rather an indication of a more or less transitory functional disorder, and it should be interpreted together with the clinical picture.