Neuropsychological evaluations, behavior patterns, and outcomes were studied in a retrospective analysis of 10 patients (7 girls, 3 boys) with onset of absence epilepsy before age 3 years, referred between 1986 and 2002 at Hopital Henri Gastaut, Marseille, and Hopital des Enfants, Toulouse, France. At >2 years of follow-up (range, 2 years 8 months to 9 years 4 months), only two had typical absences with good seizure control and good cognitive outcome. In the remaining 8 cases, 8 had cognitive delays and behavioral difficulties, and 5 had persisting absence seizures, some with asymmetric interictal EEGs. None had abnormal neurologic signs, and neuroimaging was unremarkable. [1]
COMMENT. Early onset absence epilepsy is a rare heterogeneous condition with a generally poor outcome.