Classification and prognosis of the epilepsies in early stages: Partial forms

The study is designed to follow prospectively the evolution of epilepsies from the onset. The aim is to verify the possibility of an early classification in well defined epileptic syndromes and to define early detectable risk factors influencing the prognosis. We analyzed the data of 87 patients affected by partial epilepsies: out of these 66 were followed for at least one year: 30 subjects (45.4%) had single or multiple relapse of seizures, but only 6 patients, affected by partial sympthomatic epilepsy, developed seizures difficult to control. Among the considered risk factors only the presence of an active epileptiform EEG pattern at the first observation was significantly related with seizure relapse. The patients presenting generalized seizures with suspected focal onset have significantly lower risk for relapse as compared with those with partial epilepsies.