Febrile convulsions and rolandic discharges.

Clinical and electroencephalographic assessments were performed on 39 children with febrile convulsions showing EEG evidence of rolandic discharges and 23 epileptic children showing rolandic discharges with a preceding history of febrile convulsions. Ten families in which EEGs from the proband and his (or her) sibling or cousin demonstrated rolandic discharges were also described. The results of these studies stress a close genetic relationship between febrile convulsions with rolandic discharges and focal seizures or generalized convulsions that occur during sleep, namely, benign epilepsy of childhood with rolandic discharges. This indicates that the febrile convulsions with rolandic discharges constitute a particular subtype of febrile convulsions.