Etiological classification of seizures in pediatric age group (6-12years) – MRI study

Background: A seizure is an occurrence of signs or symptoms due to abnormal excessive orsynchronous neuronal activity in the brain. The present study aims to study the etiological factorsand clinical profile for new-onset seizures in children aged 6-12 years and to determine thefrequency of Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in the pediatrics age group with new-onset unprovoked seizure and those with inadequately investigated longstanding epilepsy andclassify the etiology based on the MRI findings. Methods: A prospective study involving a total of 50patients was recruited aged between 6 to 12 years. All of them underwent neuro-imaging with MRI.Uncooperative patients were imaged following sedation and monitoring by the anesthetist. Allchildren aged 6-12 years who presented with new-onset seizures were included. All MR images wereobtained at a 3-mm section thickness except magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo images,which are obtained at a 1.8-mm section thickness. Results: Of the 50 patients 28 presented withgeneralized tonic-clonic seizures, 12 with simple partial seizures, 10 with complex partial seizures.Generalized seizures were a more common presentation than partial seizures in children 6-12 yearsof age. Conclusion: With the positivity of the MRI in the new-onset seizure in children between 6-12 years in our study gives an important aspect of the essential factor of imaging in pediatric new-onset seizures.