All issues > Volume 22(2); 1979

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1979;22(2):131-140. Published online February 15, 1979.

A Clinicoelectroencephalographic Study of Febrile Convulsion and Epilepsy in Childhood.

Kyung Tai Whang, Sung Hoon Cho

¹Department of Pediatrics, Catholic Medical College, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

This study was attempted to reveal the clinical and electroencephalographic findings in children who were experienced febrile convulsion and epilepsy. The subjects were 226 cases, under 15 years of age, who visited with convulsive disorders to the St. Mary's hospital between Jan. 1977 and Aug. 1978. Of these, 45 cases were febrile convulsion and 123 cases were epilepsies. The results were as follows : 1. The major cause of convulsions, in order of frequency, were epilepsy (54.4%), febrile convulsion (19.9%), meningitis and encephalitis (11.5%), cerebral palsy (4.0%), diarrhea (3.1%) and tetany (1.3%). 2. The leading cause of convulsions were different according to age : Before the age of 3, febrile convulsion, meningitis and encephalitis were common cause of convulsions and epilepsy was common after that age. 3. 68.8% of first febrile convulsion observed during the first 2 years of age. Male to female ratio was 3:2. 4. The EEG findings, of 24 cases with reccurent febrile convulsions, were normal in 29.9%, borderline in 8.3% and abnormal in 62.5% of them. The incidence of abnormal EEG findings were more frequent in the older children than in the younger ones : Of the 10 cases less than 3 years old, the chance of abnormal EEG findings was noted in 2 cases, compared to 13 cases of 14 cases more than 3 years old. This result suggest that the incidence of abnormal EEG in reccurent febrile convulsion seems to be correlated with the preexisting numbers of convulsive attacks. The findings of abnormal EEG were sporadic spike (40.0%), high voltage slow wave (20.0%), multiple spike (20.0%), slow wave dysrhythmia (13.3%) and spike and wave complex (6.7%). 5. The clinical type of epilepsies, in order of frequency, were grand mal (45.5%), minor motor seizure (17.1%), focal seizure (9.8%), petit mal absence (8.1%) and psychomotor seizure (4.9%). The major abnormal EEG finding in grand mal and focal seizure was asymmetric and focal slow wave, and it was found in 33.9% and 58.3% of their traces respectively. In psychomotor seizure, spike or sharp wave was noted in 66.7%, and in petit mal absence and minor seizure, spike and wave complex were noted 100.0% and 33.3% of them.

Keywords :