Language and central temporal auditory processing in childhood epilepsies.

Because of the relationship between rolandic, temporoparietal, and centrotemporal areas and language and auditory processing, the aim of this study was to investigate language and central temporal auditory processing of children with epilepsy (rolandic epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy) and compare these with those of children without epilepsy. Thirty-five children aged between eight and 14 years old were studied. Two groups of children participated in this study: a group with childhood epilepsy (n=19), and a control group without epilepsy or linguistic changes (n=16). There was a significant difference between the two groups, with the worst performance in children with epilepsy for the gaps-in-noise test, right ear (p<0.001) and left ear (p<0.001) tests, and duration pattern test--naming (p=0.002) and humming (p=0.002). In auditory P300, there was no significant difference in latency (p=0.343) and amplitude (p=0.194) between the groups. There was a significant difference between the groups, with the worst performance in children with epilepsy, for the auditory-receptive vocabulary (PPVT) (p<0.001) and phonological working memory (nonwords repetition task) tasks (p=0.001). We conclude that the impairment of central temporal auditory processing and language skills may be comorbidities in children with rolandic epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy.

Epilepsia rolándica: características epidemiológicas, clínicas y evolutivas / Rolandic epilepsy: Epidemiological and clinical characteristics and outcome

Objetivo: Analizar las características epidemiológicas, clínicas y evolutivas de la epilepsia rolándica para facilitar su sospecha diagnóstica en la práctica clínica diaria. Pacientes y métodos: Se han revisado 56 historias clínicas de pacientes con epilepsia rolándica y se han registrado características epidemiológicas y clínicas, exploraciones complementarias y datos evolutivos. Los criterios diagnósticos aplicados fueron los de la International League Against Epilepsy. Resultados: La edad media al diagnóstico era de 7,7 años. El 62,5 % fueron diagnosticados en edad escolar, con mayor prevalencia del sexo masculino (58,9 %). El 80,4 % de los pacientes tuvieron crisis exclusivamente durante el sueño caracterizadas por contracciones hemifaciales con desviación ocular y/o cefálica (76,8 %), sialorrea (44,6 %), sonidos guturales (30,6 %), crisis motoras secundariamente generalizadas (35,7 %) y/o hemicorporales (26,8 %), disartria (17,9 %) y parestesias unilaterales (16,1 %). Se constataron paroxismos de localización centrotemporal, preferentemente unilaterales (78,6 %). El 50,7 % de las recurrencias se dieron en los primeros 12 meses tras el diagnóstico, el 24,6 % entre los 12 y 24 meses, y el 24,6 % restante entre los 2 y 4 años. Se objetivaron 2 casos de evolución atípica: uno de actividad continua de punta-onda en sueño lento, y otro de afasia adquirida (síndrome de Landau-Kleffner). Conclusiones: La epilepsia rolándica constituye un síndrome epiléptico específicamente pediátrico que afecta preferentemente a varones en edad escolar. Su secuencia semiológica es bastante característica, y es imprescindible documentar paroxismos centrotemporales para su diagnóstico. Su pronóstico es excelente; sin embargo, dado que algunos pacientes cursan una evolución atípica y/o una afectación cognitiva transitoria sería conveniente mantener un riguroso control evolutivo (AU)

Objective: To analyse the epidemiological, clinical and developmental characteristics of Rolandic epilepsy as an aid to its suspected diagnosis in daily clinical practice. Patients and methods: The medical records of 56 patients with Rolandic epilepsy were reviewed in order to collect epidemiological and clinical features, results of complementary examinations and developmental data. The criteria defined by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) were used in the diagnosis. Results: Mean age at diagnosis was 7.7 years. In all, 62.5 % were diagnosed at school age, with a higher prevalence of males (58.9 %). Seizures occurred during sleep in 84.4 % of patients, and they were mainly characterised by hemifacial seizures with eye deviation and/or headaches (76.8 %), hypersalivation (44.6 %), guttural sounds (30.6 %), secondary generalised tonic-clonic (35.7 %) and/or unilateral clonic or tonic seizures (26.8 %), dysarthria (17.9 %) and unilateral paresthesias (16.1 %). Inter-ictal EEG showed paroxysms in the centrotemporal regions, frequently unilateral (78.6 %). Of all recurrences, 50.7 % occurred during the first 12 months after diagnosis, 24.6 % between 12 and 24 months after diagnosis, and 24.6 % between 2 and 4 years of follow up. Two patients with atypical progression were recorded: a case with epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves during slow-wave sleep, and another case with a Landau-Kleffner syndrome. Conclusions: Rolandic epilepsy is a common type of epilepsy in the pediatric age group and generally begins at school-aged children. Its semiological sequence is fairly characteristic, and finding centrotemporal spikes is considered as necessary for the syndromic diagnosis. The prognosis is excellent; however, as a few patients may progress to atypical outcomes and/or neuropsychological deficits, a rigorous developmental control of these patients should be of the highest priority (AU)