Prognostic indicators in Benign Epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes of infancy and childhood

Introduction: Rolandic Epilepsy is an epileptic disorder accepted by ILAE since 1989. Prognostic variables at the beginning of disease remained unknown. For that reason, to find prognostic indicators since the beginning of seizures is essential. Patients and methods: A cohort study of 69 patients with Benign Epilepsy with Centro-temporal Spikes of Infancy and Childhood had studied when the disorder was diagnosed. Mental retardation, neurosis, psychosis or structural lesion detected by Magnetic Resonance Images were considered exclusion criteria. Neuropsychological functioning was evaluated applying a standardised neuropsychological battery (ANB). The patients assisted monthly for 2 years after diagnosed was done. Then parents and teachers should reported behaviour problems and educational achievement and answered Conner test. Cognitive skill under 3 percentile and likely of recurrent seizures were taken into account to evaluate prognosis. Nonparametric analysis was used to evaluate clinical and electroencephalografic variables. The equation of proportional harzard (Cox) regression was considered to know the risk of keep-on seizures free during the course of this epileptic disorder. Results: The present study included 69 patients. Four variables were associated with bad prognosis at the beginning such as the duration of spikes and waves on electroencephalographs registered, the amplitude of electrographic waves more than 350 microvolts and percentage of continuos spikes and waves in slow sleep. Conclusion: Clinic and electroencephalography variables were useful predictors of bad outcome in Benign Epilepsy with Centro-temporal spikes of Infancy and Childhood.