Somatosensory-Evoked Spikes on Electroencephalography (EEG)

Abstract

Somatosensory-evoked spikes (ESp) are high-voltage potentials registered on the EEG, which accompany each of the percussions on the feet or hands. The objective of this research was to study the longitudinal clinical and EEG aspects of children with ESp. A total of 313 children, 53.7% male, showing ESp on the EEG and with an average initial age of 6.82 (range from 2 to 14 years) were followed for a mean period of 35.7 months. In the initial evaluation, 118 (37.7%) had a history of nonfebrile epileptic seizures (ES). Epileptiform activity (EA) was observed on the EEG in 61% and showed a significantly greater occurrence in children with ES than in those without (P = .000). Of the 118 showing seizures from the start, 53 (44.9%) continued to have seizures; of the 195 without seizures at the start, only 13 (6.67%) developed them. Thus, only 66 (21.1%) children showed ES during the follow-up. ESp disappeared in 237 (75.7%) cases and EA in 221 (70.6%). In the children with ES, it was found that the presence of EA on the first EEG did not indicate continuation of the ES throughout the remaining period, while the 13 children who presented their first ES in a later period showed a greater occurrence of EA on the initial EEG than those who did not develop ES (P = .001). Evidence of brain injury was observed in 43 (13.7%) children and was associated with a greater continuity of the ES during the study (P = .018). ESp, EA, and ES tend to disappear, suggesting an age-dependent phenomenon. The finding of ESp, particularly in the absence of any evidence of brain injury, indicates a low association with ES and benign outcome.

Keywords

childhood epilepsy eletroencephalography epileptiform activity longitudinal epileptic seizures

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

De Marco

. Evoked parietal spikes and childhood epilepsy. Arch Neurol. 1980;37(5):291-292.

Dalla Bernadina

Sgro

Caraballo

. Sleep and benign partial epilepsies of childhood: EEG and evoked potentials study. Epilepsy Res. 1991;(suppl 2):83-96.

Fonseca

Tedrus

GMA

. Epileptic syndromes in children with somatosensory evoked spikes. Clin Electroencephalogr. 1994;25(2):54-58.

De Marco

Negrin

. Parietal focal spikes evoked by contralateral tactile somatotopic stimulation in four nonepileptic subjects. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1973;34(3):308-312.

Fonseca

Tedrus

GMAS

. Somatosensory evoked spikes and epileptic seizures; a study of 385 cases. Clin Electroencephalogr. 2000;31(2):71-75.

Langill

Wong

PKH

. Tactile-evoked rolandic discharges: a benign finding? Epilepsia. 2003;44(2):221-227.

Fonseca

Tedrus

GMA

. Pontas evocadas por estímulos somatossensitivos e atividade epileptiforme no eletrencefalograma em crianças normais. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2003;61(3B):793-795.

Tassinari

De Marco

Benign partial epilepsy with extreme somatosensory evoked potentials. Epileptic syndromes in infancy, childhood and adolescence. In: Roger

, ed. Benign Partial Epilepsy with Extreme Somato–Sensory Evoked Potentials London, UK: John Libbey & Company Ltd.; 1985.

De Marco

Tassinari

. Extreme somatosensory evoked potential (ESEP); an EEG sign forecasting the possible occurrence of seizures in children. Epilepsia. 1981;22(5):569-575.