Although partial seizures occur frequently in childhood, the clinical and EEG manifestations have not been well described. Clinical and EEG features of 198 partial seizures in 56 children with seizures recorded during videotape monitoring with simultaneous telemetered EEG recordings were analyzed. Simple partial seizures were short in duration and consisted primarily of motor symptoms and were not associated with postictal impairment. Complex partial seizures were longer and could be categorized into four subgroups based on the initial clinical manifestations: staring, automatisms, motor phenomena, and drop attacks. All complex partial seizures were associated with changes in facial expressions, and in 87% of the patients automatic behaviors occurred either initially or at some point during the seizures. Unlike simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures were often associated with postictal symptoms. Although complex partial seizures were variable in manifestations from patient to patient, in children with more than one seizure recorded clinical events were usually stereotyped.
