[Benign infantile familial convulsions]

Abstract

Introduction: Benign Infantile Familial Convulsions (HBIFC), are characterized by brief partials seizures, occasionally with secondary generalization, with onset in the first year of life, family history of similar electroclinical seizures and same age of appearance.

Material and methods: We presented 16 patients, 10 girls and 6 boys, evaluated in our Service between 1990-1996. We analyzed, age of onset of the seizures, sex, family history of epilepsy, neurologic exam, semiology, distribution, frequency and duration of the seizures, EEG, neuroradiologic studies and evolution.

Results: The patients had partial seizures, which occurred mainly in clusters, with onset ranged from 3 to 8 months, with normal neurological exam and psychomotor development. The interictal EEG was normal and the course was benign. Treatment response to antiepileptic drugs was good.

Conclusions: Our presentation confirmed that BIFC are a new partial idiopathic epileptic syndrome, with a genetic predisposition, probably with an autosomal dominant inheritance, which would be recognize in the next international classification of epilepsy and epileptic syndromes.