Abstracts

Rationale: The electroencephalogram (EEG) is an important biomarker in epilepsy, often being a decisive element for the introduction or withdrawal of medication. This study aims to assess whether the child's age at the time of the first seizure may interfere with the cessation of seizures and EEG normalization time. We also assessed the time interval between cessation of seizures and EEG normalization. Methods: We evaluated medical records of children with Rolandic epilepsy who were attended at the neurology outpatient clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo. The inclusion criteria were: children with clinical and electroencephalographic diagnosis of rolandic epilepsy, according to International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification; both sexes; medical follow-up for at least two years after normalization of the EEG (EEG normalization was considered after two normal exams over a period of more than two years between them); and children who had at least two normal EEGs with intervals between them of at least two years  Results: 65 records were evaluated; 30 girls and 35 boys, mean age of 6.5 years at the time of the first seizure and 9.7 years in the last seizure; the laterality of the focus was left at 29, right at 22 and bilateral at 14. The interval between: the first and last seizure was 3.3 years; the first seizure and EEG normalization, 5.5 years; and the last seizure and the EEG normalization, 2.35 years. Forty seven children do not receive antiepileptic medication and eighteen were treated with oxcarbazepine (9), sulthiame (6), valproic acid (3) The samples had a normal distribution, with a strong beta effect for the variable age of the child in the first crisis (-0.478), moderate for the laterality variable (- = 0.201) and weak for the variable sex (0.022). Model 1, including sex, age at first epileptic seizure and laterality of epileptic discharge explains 26.85% (R) of variance F (3.61) = 7.46, p 0.05 and p >0.05, respectively). The laterality of the focus showed only that in bilateral discharges there was a greater interval between the first and last crisis (p = 0.05) and between the first crisis and EEG normalization (p = 0.05). Conclusions: In the present study, although limited by the small number of the sample, it was possible to observe that the age of the child at the time of the first epileptic event is a determining factor for the cessation of epileptic seizures and electroencephalogram normalization. It has also been noted that seizures cease on average two years before EEG normalization. The cessation of seizures preceded EEG normalization, averaging two years. The administration of antiepileptic medication did not interfere in the clinical or electroencephalographic evolution of children Funding: Not applicable