[Classification and definition of epileptic syndromes].

Epileptic syndromes are classified in order to supply the clinician with a useful terminology. A description of individual types of seizure is not relevant in practice since identical seizures occur in patients with very different outcomes. An epileptic syndrome is an epileptic disorder characterized by a cluster of signs and symptoms. It has therapeutic and prognostic implications. Our proposal for classification of epileptic syndromes is a compromise between scientific classification and practical arrangement.