A Clinical Study of Benign Epilepsy of Childhood with Centrotemporal Spikes

ABSTRACT

Benign epiepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECCT) is an electroclinical syndrome characterized by noctural seizure that remit spontaneoully before adulthood, and belong to idiopathic age and location related epilepsies. We reviewed the medical records to analyse the seizure the seizure pattern, and also inspect the EEG recording to identify topography of the epileptiform discharge of 24 patient who met the following criteria: 1) presence of nocturnal seizure or partial seizure confined to the face, 2) normal intecual and development, 3) normal background EEG feature, 4) monomormhic spikes or sharp wave that increase in the frequency during sleep if those state were achieved. The result as follow: 1) The age of seizure onset were 3 to 11 years old (7.08 1.89) and male to female ratio was 1, 4:1. 2) Past history of birth trauma, CNS infection and other diseases involving CNS, were not found. There was past history of febrile convulsoin 33.3% of patient and epilepsy in 8.3%. One of paient's sister had childhood abscence epilepsy and never a nocturnal partial seizure, also and had centrotemporal spikes in EEG. 3) In 91.7% of Seizures occurred during sleep, especially short after sleep onset and the symptomatology of seizure was shown 66.7% of oropharyngeal sign, such as hypersalivation and gargle sound, and 54.2% of hemifacial involvement, 33.3% of speech arrest, 25.5% of upper limb involement, 18.3% of lower limb involvement, and 45.8% of general seizure. 4) In 91.5% of patients had on location of epileptiform discharge that located central (37.5%) midtemporal (33.3%), parietal and frontal. We could observe tangental dipole in 16.7% of patients.