ABSTRACT

Ictal semiology provides valuable information about the lateralization and the localization of the epileptogenic zone. Lateralizing semiological signs during seizures, however, cannot lateralize a seizure focus with absolute certainty. The aim of this study is to compare the lateralizing semiological signs and ictal electoencephalographic findings during long term video-EEG monitoring in partial epilepsy patients.

Twenty-seven patients with partial epilepsy (8 female, 19 male; mean age 26.4±11.8) (21 extratemporal lobe epilepsy and 6 temporal lobe epilepsy) underwent to the study. The lateralizing semiological signs and the ictal EEG findings in epileptic seizures during long term video-EEG monitoring were analyzed.

The lateralizing semiological signs and the ictal EEG findings were concordant in three of the extratemporal lobe epilepsy patients and were incongruous in two of the extratemporal lobe epilepsy and in two of the temporal lobe epilepsy patients.

In temporal lobe epilepsy patients, ictal EEG findings were more reliable than the semiological lateralizing signs in the lateralization of the epileptogenic focus. The most valuable semiological lateralizing signs were the lateral head and eye movements and the least valuable semiological lateralizing sign was the unilateral eye blinking.

Keywords: Extratemporal lobe epilepsy, Lateralizing semiological signs, temporal lobe epilepsy, long term video-EEG monitoring