[Electroencephalographic characteristics of West syndrome].

The study aimed at interictal electroencephalographic characteristics investigation in the patients with West syndrome. It has been carried out in 48 children, aged 3 months--2 years, the inpatients of Psychoneurology and Epilepsy Department, Russian Clinical Children Hospital No. 2, from March 1999 to march 2001. The following EEG awakeness types were detected: typical hypsarrithmia--8 (16.7%) patients; different variants of modified hypsarrithmia--35 (72.9%); a presence of focal epileptiform discharges, but not in the form of modified hypsarrithmia with focal component--3 (6.2%); an absence of epileptiform discharges--2 (4.2%). Typical and modified hypsarrithmia cases ratio was estimated as 18.6%:81.4%. Among the patients with modified hypsarrithmia, the following variants have been detected: synchronized variant of modified hypsarrithmia--35.3% of the cases with modified hypsarrithmia; asymmetric regional or unilateral hypsarrithmia--42.9%; hypsarrithmia with partial component--45.7%; hypsarrithmia with persisting "suppressive-burst" pattern--20% of the cases. Correct evaluation of clinical, electrophysiological and neurovisual data (clinico-electro-anatomical approach) facilitated the rational differential choice of antiepileptic therapy. The approach allows the early prognosis of disease course and its transformation to other epilepsy types.