Posterior temporal epilepsy: Electroclinical features Article

Duchowny, M, Jayakar, P, Resnick, T et al. (1994). Posterior temporal epilepsy: Electroclinical features . ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, 35(4), 427-431. 10.1002/ana.410350409

cited authors

  • Duchowny, M; Jayakar, P; Resnick, T; Levin, B; Alvarez, L

authors

abstract

  • In the course of evaluating children with posterior temporal lobe epilepsy with subdural electrodes, we observed that their seizures commonly arose from basal rather than convexity foci and that they followed a stereotyped clinical sequence. Seizures characteristically began with behavioral arrest that coincided with basal temporal seizure discharges and progressed to motor signs as the seizure activity spread to the ipsilateral cortical convexity. Behavioral automatisms were observed in approximately half the patients, but were never the first or most prominent ictal manifestation. Focal lesions were identified preoperatively in 7 patients. We performed tailored temporal lobe resections in 14 patients, 10 (71%) of whom were seizure free (N = 9) or had occasional auras (N = 1) at a mean follow‐up of 2 years. These findings suggest that in childhood, posterior temporal seizures frequently arise from basal cortex and have a consistent and recognizable ictal and electrographic semiology. In medically refractory patients, tailored temporal resection is an effective therapy. Copyright © 1994 American Neurological Association

publication date

  • January 1, 1994

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 427

end page

  • 431

volume

  • 35

issue

  • 4