Objective: To characterize the clinical and EEG features of the syndrome of benign childhood partial seizures with ictal vomiting and EEG occipital spikes (Panayiotopoulos syndrome [PS]).
Methods: Prospective study of children with normal general and neurologic examinations who had seizures with ictal vomiting and EEG with occipital spikes.
Results: From February 1990 to 1997, the authors found 66 patients with PS and 145 children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Peak age at onset of PS was 5 years. Ictal deviation of the eyes and progression to generalized seizures were common. One-third had partial status epilepticus. During sleep, all had seizures. While awake, one-third also had seizures. Five children with PS had concurrent symptoms of rolandic epilepsy and another five developed rolandic seizures after remission of PS. Prognosis was excellent: one-third had a single seizure, one-half had two to five seizures, and only 4.5% had frequent seizures.
Conclusions: Panayiotopoulos-type benign childhood occipital epilepsy is less common than benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes but is well defined and recognizable by clinical and EEG features.