[Implications of the International Classification of Seizures and Syndromes in the management of epilepsy].

The classification of seizures has long been confused with that of epilepsies. Distinction between them is of great importance for the rational management of patients with epilepsy. The introduction of the International Classification of Epileptic Seizures and Syndromes has had a practical impact on the treatment of epilepsies. The choice of antiepileptic drugs is mainly based on the type of seizures, but the classification of epileptic syndromes is important because it provides a-practical knowledge as to prognosis. Patients with different types of epileptic syndromes having different prognoses may have the same type of seizures. Such considerations as whether or not to start drug treatment and treatment duration depend not on the diagnosis of seizure types but on the diagnosis of syndromes.