Cognitive findings in benign childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the cognitive and visual perceptive functions in children with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (CEOP).Method Hospital charts of children ages 1 to 18 years who admitted to pediatric neurology out-patient clinic between 2009 and 2010 were reviewed. Twenty one children with a diagnosis of CEOP were identified. Sixteen of these children who accepted to include the study were evaluated with neuropsychological tests.
**Results Two of five patients who were evaluated with Denver developmental screening test were found to have lower scores than their reference standards. Remaining 11 patients were evaluated with Wechsler Scales of Intelligence tests, 4 were mildly mental retarded and 1 had null intelligence. Eleven patients were also evaluated with Bender Gestalt Visual Motor Test and 7of them had disturbances in
visual perception. Reading speed and writing norm tests were applied to 9 literate patients and 7 of them showed slower reading ability and writing ability was found worse in 6 patients.Conclusion The absence of neurological and neuropsylogical deficits has long been considered as a prerequisite for diagnosis of benign childhood partial epilepsies. However, only a few studies
describing the cognitive profile of patients with CEOP have been published. The present study has demonstrated that the patients with CEOP had varying degree of cognitive dysfunction and disturbance in visual perception. In order to provide appropriate intervention, cognitive functions should be assessed in children with CEOP.

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