Abstracts

Rationale: Aicardi and Chevirie described that atypical benign partial epilepsy (ABPE) was characterized by centro-temporal EEG spikes, continuous spike and waves during sleep, multiple types of seizures including epileptic negative myoclonus, but not like Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Oguni et al. reported efficacy of Ethosuximide for epileptic negative myoclonus in patients with ABPE. Kubota et al. reported interictal and ictal magnetoencephalography (MEG) findings in a patient with ABPE. This paper presents MEG findings and clinical features of ABPE patients in Japanese multiple centers. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed seizure profiles, scalp video EEG (VEEG), MEG and seizure outcomes in patients with ABPE. Results: Seventeen ABPE patients consisted of 8 girls and 9 boys. Seizure onset ranged from 2 weeks to 6 years (mean 2.9 years) with focal motor seizures (13), facial myoclonus (3) and absence seizure (1). All 17 patients had multiple types of seizures including focal motor seizures (14) atypical absence seizures (14), epileptic negative myoclonus (11), focal myoclonus (11). VEEG showed centro-temporal spikes and continuous spike and wave during sleep in all patients. MRI was reported normal in all cases. MEG showed spike sources on bilateral (15), unilateral (2), peri-Rolandic region (16), peri-sylvian region (12). All patients had more than 2 antiepileptic drugs. Ethosuximide controlled the epileptic negative myoclonus in 11 of 11 patients. MEG spike sources disappeared in 11 of 11 patients treated by Ethosuximide. Conclusions: MEG spike sources were diffusely localized around Rolandic-sylvian region in patients with ABPE. Ethosuximide is efficient for epileptic negative myoclonus and MEG spike sources. ABPE may be categorized idiopathic localization related epilepsy because of Rolandic-sylvian epileptic sources.