Childhood occipital epileptic syndromes in Taiwan: clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Background: The present study aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of three types of occipital epileptic syndromes: early-onset and late-onset childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysm (ECEOP and LCEOP) and symptomatic occipital epilepsy (SOLE).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 54 children (18 ECEOP, 10 LCEOP, and 26 SOLE) and compared the clinical features, EEG findings, treatments, and outcomes among these patients.

Results: Nocturnal seizures occurred in 55% of the patients with ECEOP, whereas of those with LCEOP and SOLE, 80% and 61% had diurnal seizures, respectively (P = 0.04). Status epilepticus was more common in the ECEOP group, less in LCEOP. Autonomic auras were more common in the SOLE group than in the other two groups. Secondary generalized seizure was often found in the SOLE group (P = 0.03). EEG findings in 72% of the ECEOP group, 60% of the LCEOP group, and 19.2% in the SOLE group were changeable and became to be normal after 5 years of follow-up. Slow EEG background activity was more evident in the SOLE group than in the other two groups. The prognoses of these groups of patients were different. The ECEOP group had the best, and the SOLE group had the worst.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that some clinical features of these three syndromes differ from each other, which may provide clinicians a basis for determining the appropriate diagnosis in children with one of these childhood occipital epileptic syndromes.