[Accidental epileptic seizures in children].

The authors report a series of 71 children admitted to a general pediatric hospital for a first non febrile, non symptomatic seizure and observed for an average of 6 years and 5 months. Among these patients, 19 cases corresponded to an isolated unexplained seizure without paroxysmal E.E.G. abnormalities, which did not reappear without treatment in a mean follow-up period fo 5 years and 3 months. The typical features of these "accidental seizures" are compared with other types of epilepsy. Finally, these "accidental seizures" can be classified into 2 groups: atonic seizures in the young child (1-4 years) and partial seizures in older children. A statistical analysis was undertaken to define the risk factors for recurrence after the first epileptic attack. A low recurrence risk is expected for children between 1 to 4 years with atonic type of seizures without paroxysmal E.E.G. abnormalities while there is a high recurrence risk for children under 1 year with generalized seizures and paroxysmal E.E.G. intercritical abnormalities.