[Dermatoglyphic traits in the diagnosis and prognosis of epilepsy].

A total of 549 epileptic children and 162 healthy children were studied dermatoglyphically. The authors found significant dermatoglyphic differences between the control subjects and patients suffering from epilepsy with a progressive and an unprogressive course. Dermatoglyphic characteristics in the epileptic patients varied in groups with different clinical characteristics (age at the onset of the disease and the duration of the latter, the daily development of paroxysms at the same time, a tendency toward a stable course, the presence of psychic states and the resistance to therapy). Statistical task-solving rules for diagnosing epilepsy in children were elaborated. The correct computer-aided diagnosis on the basis of dermatoglyphic examination was made in 70% of the epileptic patients.