Seizure Disorders

Abstract

OUTCOME OF CHILDHOOD EPILEPSY Factors predictive of remission of epilepsy were evaluated in 504 patients followed for an average of 7 years at the Departments of Pediatrics and Mathematics, Dalhousie University and Children's Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. At the end of follow-up, 55% of the total cohort were off medication and in remission. Approximately 70% of those stopping medication remained seizure free. At the time of diagnosis, the best predictors of remission, determined by a multivariate analysis scoring system, were 1) age <12 years at onset, 2) normal intelligence, 3) no prior neonatal seizures, and 4) fewer than 21 seizures before treatment. Prediction was improved after 12 months follow-up, when a score for the seizure frequency between 6 and 12 months was included. Patients with absence and minor motor seizures were