[Aetiological aspects of West Syndrome].

Introduction: West Syndrome involves epileptic encephalopathy in infants, occurring with an incidence of 5/10000 live births. Its main clinical feature are spasms that occur in clusters, which are associated with an EEG pattern called hypsarrhythmia and psychomotor retardation in most patients. West Syndrome is associated with many underlying conditions and the terms idiopathic, cryptogenic, and symptomatic are used for its aetiological subgroups.

Rasmussen syndrome and long-term response to thalidomide.

We report a 13-year-old female who experienced symptoms and signs of Rasmussen encephalitis for the first time at the age of 5 years. Various therapeutic procedures, including conventional and new antiepileptic drugs, steroids, immunoglobulin, plasma exchanges, and partial hemispherectomy, were applied, but their results were unsatisfactory. During one of the exacerbations, when the patient's life was endangered, thalidomide was administered.

Fulminant subacute sclerosing panencephalitis:two cases with atypical presentation.

From 1972 to 2002, we diagnosed and treated 22 cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. We report on two pediatric patients with fulminant subacute sclerosing panencephalitis who had atypical clinical manifestations. In both patients diagnosis was confirmed by elevated titers of CSF and serum antimeasles antibodies.