ABSTRACT
The classification of epileptic disorders in a number of different syndromes is based on differences in age of onset, prognosis, characteristic electroencephalographic (EEG) findings, type, frequency, and precipitation of seizures as well as response to therapeutic measures. The seizures are myoclonic, astatic, myoclonic-astatic, absences with clonic and tonic components, and tonic-clonic. Tonic seizures develop late in the course of unfavorable cases. The EEG usually has abnormal background activity, slow spike-waves of less than 3/s and, often, multifocal abnormalities. During sleep, bursts of fast-rhythms. The differentiation of epilepsy with myoclonic absences from other forms of absence epilepsy is based on the detailed studies of 28 patients by Tassinari and Bureau. Absences in juvenile absence epilepsy show the same seizure patterns as those in pyknolepsy, but retropulsive movements are less common. “The EEG shows one of the patterns of idiopathic generalized epilepsy, and there is a significant correlation with photosensitivity”.
