Pediatric occipital lobe epilepsy: A modern review of etiological classification, management, and outcomes
Abstract
Pediatric occipital lobe epilepsy (OLE) comprises syndromes with seizures originating from the posterior cerebral cortex. Previously "benign", recent International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) updates reclassified these as self-limited or structural focal epilepsies, reflecting their complex causes and morbidity potential. The 2017 ILAE guidelines shifted from syndromic recognition to an etiology-driven approach. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging is crucial to differentiate self-limited genetic syndromes from structural OLE (e.g., focal cortical dysplasia), as the latter often requires surgery. Self-limited epilepsy with autonomic seizures (formerly Panayiotopoulos syndrome) presents with prolonged nocturnal autonomic seizures. Childhood occipital visual epilepsy (previously Gastaut type) manifests as frequent, brief daytime visual hallucinations. Despite high seizure freedom rates with monotherapy, patients face neurocognitive challenges in visuospatial processing and academic performance. For drug-resistant structural cases, surgery offers high seizure freedom rates, though with risk of visual deficits. Accurate differentiation between idiopathic and structural OLE is essential for improving outcomes. The shift from "benign" to "self-limited" terminology emphasizes the need to monitor cognitive comorbidities and syndrome evolution. Early diagnosis is critical to avoid clinical mimics and enhance neurodevelopmental outcomes. This review examines the evolving…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.