Surgical treatment of late-onset post-traumatic partial seizures in a child.

Introduction: Although post-traumatic epilepsy accounts for a small number of epileptic patients, it should not be underestimated since it primarily affects children and young adults and can result in psychosocial disability and death.

Case Report: We present the case of a 14-year-old girl referred to us because of refractory partial seizures. The patient had experienced a head trauma at the age of 6 months requiring surgical treatment due to a large right fronto-temporo-parietal extradural hematoma.

Bilateral occipital calcification, epilepsy and coeliac disease: clinical and neuroimaging features of a new syndrome.

Twenty patients affected by bilateral occipital cortical-subcortical calcification (BOC) are described, 19 (95%) had epilepsy. In 8 of 16 cases studied, intestinal biopsy revealed coeliac disease. Fourteen patients had occipital partial epilepsy with a relatively benign outcome, while 4 patients were affected by a severe form of epilepsy, with very frequent, drug-resistant, generalised and partial seizures with mental deterioration.

Neurofibromatosis type one and West syndrome: a relatively benign association.

Fifteen patients with neurofibromatosis type one (NF1) and West syndrome (WS) were studied. The evolution of WS was clearly different from that seen in the other neurocutaneous syndromes, especially tuberous sclerosis. Steroids were efficacious and spasms disappeared.

Epilepsy and brain tumors in infancy and adolescence.

Four boys and four girls with brain tumors who were admitted to our department in the last 8 years are herein described. They presented with epileptic fits, which began before the age of 14 years, with neither intracranial hypertension nor localizing signs during the first 6 months of the illness. The length of time between the first fit and the diagnosis of a tumor ranged from 2 months to 11 years (median of 3 years), during which period all patients but one received anticonvulsant therapy.

Porencephalic congenital cysts with hydrocephalus.

Unlabelled: The therapeutic criteria according to tomographic findings are reviewed. 10 children, 6 male and 4 female, with porencephalic congenital cysts were studied. Early symptoms began within the first 6 months of life in 9 cases, and at the age of 5 years in 1.