[All-night polygraphic recordings in the child with suspected epileptic seizures, in spite of normal routine and post-sleep deprivation EEGs (author's transl)].

Normal standard EEGs and normal or borderline EEGs after sleep deprivation in children with one or several suspected epileptic seizures are relatively frequent. All-night polygraphic recordings were performed on 31 children, aged 3-11, who fall into this category, in order to demonstrate epileptiform activity. Three of the recordings were normal, whereas 8 were borderline and 20 showed unequivocal epileptiform activity. The rate of sleep activation is discussed according to the types of epilepsies, the age at the first seizure, the frequency of the seizures, and the position of the seizures within the sleep-waking cycle.