Introduction: Transient cognitive disorders (CD) in benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE), the most common of idiopathic partial epilepsy (IPE), may be secondary to interictal epileptiform discharges (IED).
Objectives: To determine incidence and risk factors for persistent TC in students with IE before, during and after antiepileptic (AE).
Inclusion criteria: 6 12 years old, IPE, controlled for 2 years with AE, and follow up for 5 years.
Evaluations: intelligence (Wechsler III), learning (Wechsler), academic level (Woodcock Johnson) and attention/behavior (O Conners R).
Variables: sex, age of onset, seizure type, interval between first seizure and AE onset, EEG results and AE type.
Analysis: chi square.
Results: Fourteen children had decreased learning and attention span with impulsivity, hyperactivity, low tolerance and agressivity during remission; 12 (85,71%) with temporal lobe epilepsy: 6 (50%) with IED in the left dominant hemisphere, 2 (16,67%) with IED in the right temporal lobe in left dominant hemisphere children, 2 (16,67%) in both temporal lobes in left dominant hemisphere children and 2 (14,29%) with ERB and IED. MRI were normal.
Conclusions: Children with idiopathic temporal lobe epilepsy and IED in the left dominant hemisphere are at higher risk for CD than children with other types of IPE. To control the seizures and to abolish the IED are recommended in an attempt to prevent these cognitive disorders