J Korean Child Neurol Soc.  2002 Nov;10(2):242-247.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Patients with Febrile Status Epilepticus

• Shim KJ
• Kim SK

Abstract

PURPOSE: Febrile seizure(FS) is the most common form of epileptic syndrome in pediatrics and known to have benign clinical course. In regard of febrile status epilepticus, however, there remains controversy about whether acute cerebral injury or neurological deficit can ensue and whether it can ultimately lead to intractable medial temporal lobe epilepsy secondary to mesial temporal sclerosis and hippocampal atrophy. We performed this study to determine the general clinical characteristics and prognoses in patients with febrile status epilepticus(FSE).
METHODS
The FSE group was 20 children who developed status epilepticus after FS and admitted to the department of Pediatrics, Kang-Nam Sacred Heart hospital, Hallym university, from February, 1997 to February, 2001, while the FS group was 153 children who were admitted for the first episode of FS at the same period. We retrospectively analyzed the patients' charts for the clinical status at the time of diagnosis and in the follow-up period after discharge. In case of follow-up loss, we tried to contact the family by telephone.
RESULTS
We found no statistically significant difference in etiology, patients' age, prior history of neurological abnormality, family history of epilepsy, seizure type, duration and degree of fever between the two groups. MRI scannings showed negative results of the all patients. Only one patient from each group showed abnormality in EEG, which was not statistically significant. In the analysis after the diagnosis, no death and one patient with mild weakness in the right arm was found among the FSE group. Among 153 patients of FS group, no death or postictal decline in cognitive and motor function was found.
CONCLUSION
We found no significant differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis between the FSE and FS group, but small sample size and short follow up period necessitates further study with more patients and longer follow up in order to verify the relationship between the FS and intractable temporal lobe epilepsy

Keyword

Status epilepticus; Febrile seizure; Children

MeSH Terms

Arm
Atrophy
Child
Diagnosis
Electroencephalography
Epilepsy
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
Fever
Follow-Up Studies
Heart
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Pediatrics
Prognosis*
Retrospective Studies
Sample Size
Sclerosis
Seizures
Seizures, Febrile
Status Epilepticus*
Telephone