[Occipital lobe epilepsy in adults].

Five hundreds and thirty-six patients, aged from 19 to 50 years, have been studied. Occipital lobe epilepsy (OLE) have been diagnosed in 22 (4,1%) of cases. The study included evaluation of anamnesis, clinical and neurological examination, routine EEG and/or video-EEG monitoring and MRI of the brain. Duration of the study was 1-5 years (on average 3 years). The most typical clinical features were visual phenomena, mostly "irritation symptoms" represented by elementary hallucinations. Visual "symptoms of loss" (scotomas, amaurosis) are associated with ineffectiveness of antiepileptic drugs. The regional epileptiform activity in occipital leads is found in the routine EEG in 1/4 of patients, epileptogenic structural lesions of the same localization in the MRI - in 1/3 of patients. The data suggest that these diagnostic methods are not sufficient and support the validity of clinical diagnosis.