Pediatric Epilepsy Syndromes 04

Topic: Pediatric

Created on Wednesday, October 3 2007 by jdmiles

Last modified on Wednesday, October 3 2007.

 
        A) Her seizures will persist for life, but should be infrequent and should be easily controlled with medication
 
        B) She will have a rapidly worsening and terminal course
 
        C) Her seizures will become more frequent and more severe as she gets older
 
        D) Her seizures will be infrequent, and eventually go away completely
 
        E) She will be eaten by a bear
 

 

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This question was created on October 03, 2007 by jdmiles.
This question was last modified on October 03, 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

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A) Her seizures will persist for life, but should be infrequent and should be easily controlled with medication

This answer is incorrect.

This child's history is very typical of Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (also called BECTS, or "Benign Rolandic Epilepsy").    

Children with this syndrome are otherwise normal neurologically, and typically remit spontaneously.  Often, these seizures are not treated.  If treated, seizures are usually responsive to monotherapy with most antiepileptic agents. 

  (See References)

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B) She will have a rapidly worsening and terminal course

This answer is incorrect.

This child's history is very typical of Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (also called BECTS, or "Benign Rolandic Epilepsy").    

Children with this syndrome are otherwise normal neurologically, and typically remit spontaneously.  Often, these seizures are not treated.  If treated, seizures are usually responsive to monotherapy with most antiepileptic agents. 

  (See References)

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C) Her seizures will become more frequent and more severe as she gets older

This answer is incorrect.

This child's history is very typical of Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (also called BECTS, or "Benign Rolandic Epilepsy").    

Children with this syndrome are otherwise normal neurologically, and typically remit spontaneously.  Often, these seizures are not treated.  If treated, seizures are usually responsive to monotherapy with most antiepileptic agents. 

  (See References)

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D) Her seizures will be infrequent, and eventually go away completely

This answer is correct.

This child's history is very typical of Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (also called BECTS, or "Benign Rolandic Epilepsy"), the most common focal childhood epilepsy syndrome.  Onset of symptoms is between 4 and 12 years, most commonly at age 8 or 9.  Seizure types are simple partial motor seizures involving the face, which usually occur during sleep or when the child wakes up.  Children are usually brought to clinical attention after a generalized tonic clonic seizure, which represents the secondary generalization of one of these partial motor seizures. 

There is a family history of epilepsy in 40% of cases.

This syndrome is strongly associated with EEG findings of centrotemporal sharp waves.  These sharp waves have a maximal amplitude where the rolandic and sylvian fissures meet.    

Children with this syndrome are otherwise normal neurologically, and typically remit spontaneously.  Often, these seizures are not treated.  If treated, seizures are usually responsive to monotherapy with most antiepileptic agents. 

  (See References)

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E) She will be eaten by a bear

This answer is incorrect.

This child's history is very typical of Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (also called BECTS, or "Benign Rolandic Epilepsy").    

Children with this syndrome do not have an increased risk of being eaten by a bear.  Each year, there are approximately 10 bear attacks in all of North America, so this is not a likely outcome for this patient.

  (See References)

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References:

1. Levin, K.H., and Luders, H.O. (Eds.) (2000). Comprehensive Clinical Neurophysiology. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia.
2. Trescher, W.H., and Lesser, R.P. (2004). The epilepsies. In Bradley, W.G., Daroff, R.B., Fenichel, G.M., and Jankovic, J. (Eds.). Neurology in Clinical Practice, Fourth Edition. Butterworth Heinemann, Philadelphia, pp. 1953-1992.
3. Floyd, T. (1999). "Bear-inflicted human injury and fatality." Wilderness Environ Med, 10(2) 75-87. (PMID:10442155)

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pediatric
Pediatric Epilepsy Syndromes 04
Question ID: 100307064
Question written by J. Douglas Miles, (C) 2006-2009, all rights reserved.
Created: 10/03/2007
Modified: 10/03/2007
Estimated Permutations: 42000