Status epilepticus in childhood: a retrospective study of initial convulsive status and subsequent epilepsies.

A retrospective study was carried out on 261 patients with various epilepsies who had undergone convulsive status epilepticus prior to the subsequent onset of epileptic seizures. 1. Convulsive status epilepticus was found more in partial epilepsy and secondary generalized epilepsy at about the same rate, and evidently less in primary generalized epilepsy. On the average, three-fourths commenced their convulsive disorders with initial status epilepticus. 2. There were free intervals of years following initial status and preceding subsequent epilepsy. The interval was evidently shorter, less than two years, in a majority of patients with secondary generalized epilepsy, whereas the interval was mostly longer, more than six years, in patients with partial epilepsy. 3. The permanent deficient sequelae resulting from initial status were most closely associated with secondary generalized epilepsy. This was also exemplified by the higher rate of atrophic change on CCT. On the contrary, such permanent sequelae were less marked in partial epilepsy especially of complex seizure. 4. It was concluded that secondary generalized epilepsy resulted in cases with more severe brain damage within a relatively shorter interval, whereas complex partial seizure resulted from less severe damage with an obviously longer interval following convulsive status epilepticus.