Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors

Objective: to study the specific features of epilepsy in children and adolescents with brain tumors and to define the optimal tactics of management and antiepileptic therapy after surgical treatment. Patients and methods. Sixty-one patients aged 5 months to 15 years were examined. All the patients w...

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Main Authors: G. V. Kalmykova, A. F. Neretina, Zh. Yu. Chefranova
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: IMA-PRESS LLC 2015-03-01
Series:Неврология, нейропсихиатрия, психосоматика
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Online Access:https://nnp.ima-press.net/nnp/article/view/476
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author G. V. Kalmykova
A. F. Neretina
Zh. Yu. Chefranova
author_facet G. V. Kalmykova
A. F. Neretina
Zh. Yu. Chefranova
author_sort G. V. Kalmykova
collection DOAJ
description Objective: to study the specific features of epilepsy in children and adolescents with brain tumors and to define the optimal tactics of management and antiepileptic therapy after surgical treatment. Patients and methods. Sixty-one patients aged 5 months to 15 years were examined. All the patients were diagnosed as having a brain tumor found in the presence of symptomatic epilepsy. They were all followed up for 5 years postsurgery or during their lifetime (in case of death). Comprehensive examination encompassing the assessment of history data and concomitant complaints, brain magnetic resonance imaging, video-EEC monitoring, and the neurological status (the presence of cognitive impairments and eye ground changes) was done in all the cases. The probability of epileptic seizures in the clinical presentation of the disease, their semiology, and frequency were studied. Results and discussion. Epileptic seizures were the major complaint in all the patients at the first visit to their doctor. The disease occurred with status epilepticus in 9% of the patients. Different types of generalized seizures were more common (53%; p≥0.05). The tumor was located above the tentorium of the cerebellum in most examinees (77%) and beneath it in the others (23%; p≤0.05). The significant clinical sign of a brain tumor in the epileptic children is focal neurological symptoms (72% of the cases). MRI was performed in children who had no focal neurological symptoms in the late periods. There was cerebrospinal fluid hypertension in 51% of the patients (p≥0.05) and cognitive impairments in 33% (p<0.05). The maximum number (74%) of children with psycho-speech disorders and cognitive impairments were registered in the age group of 7–15 years. Eye ground changes characteristic of intracranial hypertension were identified in 19 epileptic children; they occurred in 27 patients more than 1 year after the onset of seizures. The late (few months-to-14 years) diagnosis of a brain tumor was stated in children with epileptic seizures. The diagnosis was established in patients with a tumor in the cerebral hemispheres in the later periods. The leading symptom in these children was epileptic seizures and EEG changes. The changes detectable by video-EEG monitoring with sleep inclusion were shown to be of diagnostic value.
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spelling doaj-art-59a35ecb07204bd3b91325f3f9b1e02a2025-08-20T02:16:14ZrusIMA-PRESS LLCНеврология, нейропсихиатрия, психосоматика2074-27112310-13422015-03-0171S545910.14412/2074-2711-2015-1S-54-59456Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumorsG. V. Kalmykova0A. F. Neretina1Zh. Yu. Chefranova2Department of Nervous System Diseases and Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Belgorod State National Research University, Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, Belgorod, Russia; 85, Pobeda St., Belgorod 308015;N.N. Burdenko Voronezh State Medical Academy, Ministry of Health of Russia, Voronezh, Russia; 10, Studencheskaya St., Voronezh 394036Department of Nervous System Diseases and Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Belgorod State National Research University, Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, Belgorod, Russia; 85, Pobeda St., Belgorod 308015;Objective: to study the specific features of epilepsy in children and adolescents with brain tumors and to define the optimal tactics of management and antiepileptic therapy after surgical treatment. Patients and methods. Sixty-one patients aged 5 months to 15 years were examined. All the patients were diagnosed as having a brain tumor found in the presence of symptomatic epilepsy. They were all followed up for 5 years postsurgery or during their lifetime (in case of death). Comprehensive examination encompassing the assessment of history data and concomitant complaints, brain magnetic resonance imaging, video-EEC monitoring, and the neurological status (the presence of cognitive impairments and eye ground changes) was done in all the cases. The probability of epileptic seizures in the clinical presentation of the disease, their semiology, and frequency were studied. Results and discussion. Epileptic seizures were the major complaint in all the patients at the first visit to their doctor. The disease occurred with status epilepticus in 9% of the patients. Different types of generalized seizures were more common (53%; p≥0.05). The tumor was located above the tentorium of the cerebellum in most examinees (77%) and beneath it in the others (23%; p≤0.05). The significant clinical sign of a brain tumor in the epileptic children is focal neurological symptoms (72% of the cases). MRI was performed in children who had no focal neurological symptoms in the late periods. There was cerebrospinal fluid hypertension in 51% of the patients (p≥0.05) and cognitive impairments in 33% (p<0.05). The maximum number (74%) of children with psycho-speech disorders and cognitive impairments were registered in the age group of 7–15 years. Eye ground changes characteristic of intracranial hypertension were identified in 19 epileptic children; they occurred in 27 patients more than 1 year after the onset of seizures. The late (few months-to-14 years) diagnosis of a brain tumor was stated in children with epileptic seizures. The diagnosis was established in patients with a tumor in the cerebral hemispheres in the later periods. The leading symptom in these children was epileptic seizures and EEG changes. The changes detectable by video-EEG monitoring with sleep inclusion were shown to be of diagnostic value.https://nnp.ima-press.net/nnp/article/view/476brain tumorssymptomatic epilepsychildrenelectroencephalographyantiepileptic therapy
spellingShingle G. V. Kalmykova
A. F. Neretina
Zh. Yu. Chefranova
Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
Неврология, нейропсихиатрия, психосоматика
brain tumors
symptomatic epilepsy
children
electroencephalography
antiepileptic therapy
title Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
title_full Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
title_fullStr Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
title_full_unstemmed Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
title_short Specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
title_sort specific features of epilepsy in children with brain tumors
topic brain tumors
symptomatic epilepsy
children
electroencephalography
antiepileptic therapy
url https://nnp.ima-press.net/nnp/article/view/476
work_keys_str_mv AT gvkalmykova specificfeaturesofepilepsyinchildrenwithbraintumors
AT afneretina specificfeaturesofepilepsyinchildrenwithbraintumors
AT zhyuchefranova specificfeaturesofepilepsyinchildrenwithbraintumors