Benign Focal Epilepsies in Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence

It is well known that the incidence of epilepsies is higher in this age period than in any other time in the life span. The frequent occurrence of seizures refractory to antiepileptic drug treatments is of great concern. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the group of benign epilepsy syndromes presented in this book is clearly more prevalent in childhood than the intractable epilepsies. Neurologists and paediatricians should be familiar with these conditions because accurate diagnosis, and its consequent good prognosis, may save much suffering to the family. Special emphasis, however, is given to the small proportion of children who, in spite of presenting a usually benign disease, show an atypical evolution which hampers their neuropsychological development. It is fundamental to be aware of the possible ill effects of some antiepileptic drugs in these cases. Finally, advancements in the recognition of new - and not so rare - epileptic syndromes are presented. All the subjects are supported by extensive experience of the authors based in large series of patients.