Features of Epileptic Myoclonic Seizures in Patients at Different Age Periods

Abstract

The main manifestation of epilepsy is a seizure, the clinical embodiments of which depend on the location of the epileptic focus in brain, the pathways of excitation, brain maturity, and so on. Many neurological diseases, including epilepsy, are myoclonus, i.e. short−term involuntary contractions of single or groups of muscles in the torso and limbs. The prevalence of myoclonus in radically different options for predicting the diseases not only of the nervous system, but also of other organs and systems determines the relevance of this problem. In order to study, analyze and generalize modern approaches to epileptic myoclonus, its diagnosis as well as differential diagnoses, and also treatment at different ages for implementation into practical medicine, 62 children with epilepsy were examined. The results of the study show that myoclonic epileptic seizures are more common in young children. Such conditions were observed in most patients in the structure of idiopathic generalized epilepsy. In children of early age there are very frequent serial attacks which are combined with several other types of attacks: infantile spasms, tonic, clonic, atonic. Most patients had a drug−resistant type of disease. In adolescents the idiopathic forms prevailed. Myoclonic seizures could be combined with other generalized types of seizures. In this study, more than half of the patients had a drug−resistant course due to the encephalitic type of epilepsy. Almost half of the children managed to achieve stable remission for more than a year. Patients received levetiracetam, clonazepam in age doses as mono− and polytherapies. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the correct diagnosis, timely treatment are the basic principles of management of the patients with myoclonic seizures. Key words: epilepsy, children, epileptic myoclonic seizures.