November 30, 2018

Diagnosis Switching and Outcomes in a Cohort of Patients with Potential Epilepsy with Myoclonic-Atonic Seizures

There is overlap in the electroclinical features of many childhood epilepsy syndromes, especially those presenting with multiple seizure types, such as epilepsy with myoclonic-atonic seizures (EMAS) and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). This study aimed to determine the frequency of diagnosis switching and the factors influencing epilepsy syndrome diagnosis in a cohort of children with possible EMAS, as well as to explore the relationship between epilepsy syndrome diagnoses, key electroclinical features, and clinically relevant outcomes.

Current epilepsy syndrome classification has reduced applicability due to overlapping features. This results in diagnosis switching and limited prognostic value for patients with an overlapping clinical phenotype. Future studies should attempt to stratify patients based not only on epilepsy syndrome diagnosis, but also on the presence of various electroclinical traits to more accurately predict outcome.

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