Epilepsy associated with supratentorial brain tumors under 3 years of life

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and outcome of epilepsy in children under 3 years of age with supratentorial brain tumors. I Methods: Patients under 3 years with primary supratentorial hemispheric brain tumors were collected during a 10-year period through a database including demographic and clinical features, neuroimaging, tumor location, developmental outcome, pharmacological and surgical treatment, and tumor histology. Postoperative outcome was assessed according to Engel classification. Results: Among 28 children evaluated, twenty (71.4%) suffered from epilepsy. Mean age at seizure onset was 18.7 months (range: 1-60). In fifteen (75%) children, epilepsy was an early manifestation or the presenting symptom of the tumor; seizures were focal in 8 (53.3%) and generalized in 7 (46.7%) individuals. Three (15%) children presented with an epileptic encephalopathy and continuous spike-waves during steep. Of the five children with epilepsy onset after surgery, four had focal seizures. Post-surgical follow-up ranged from 4 to 10 years (mean: 7.6 +/- 3.74). The outcome of epilepsy was generally good, with most children (76.4%) (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.