Photoparoxysmal responses in children: their characteristics and clinical correlates

Nagarajan, Lakshmi; Kulkarni, Alpana; Palumbo-Clark, Linda; Gregory, Pauline Bernadette; Walsh, Peter John; Gubbay, Sasson Stephen; Silberstein, Jonathon Michael; Silberstein, Ernst Peter; Carty, Emma Louise; Dimitroff, Wendy Rosemary

doi:10.1016/S0887-8994(03)00207-8

« Previous Next »Pediatric Neurology
Volume 29, Issue 3 , Pages 222-226, September 2003

Photoparoxysmal responses in children: their characteristics and clinical correlates

Lakshmi Nagarajan, MBBS, MD
- Communications should be addressed to: Dr. Nagarajan; Department of Neurology; Princess Margaret Hospital For Children; PO Box D184; Perth, WA 6840, Australia.
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Alpana Kulkarni, MBBS
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Linda Palumbo-Clark, BSc
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Pauline Bernadette Gregory
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Peter John Walsh, MBBS
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Sasson Stephen Gubbay, MBBS, MD
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Jonathon Michael Silberstein, MBBS
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Ernst Peter Silberstein, MBBS, MRCP, MRACP
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Emma Louise Carty
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia
Wendy Rosemary Dimitroff
- Department of Neurology, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Australia

Received 17 October 2002; accepted 17 March 2003.

Abstract

This study evaluates the characteristics of photoparoxysmal responses elicited with intermittent photic stimulation during a routine electroencephalogram in childhood and correlated this with the clinical profile of the child. Photoparoxysmal responses occurred in 8% (21/263) of children where activation was undertaken. Photoparoxysmal responses were often brief and had a variable onset latency. This study suggests increasing the duration of the stimulus train to 10 seconds or more will increase the diagnostic yield. Photoparoxysmal responses very rarely outlasted the stimulus, and self-limited photoparoxysmal responses probably have greater significance than previously attributed to them. They are highly correlated with epilepsy.

Keywords: Photoparoxysmal responses, intermittent photic stimulation, epilepsy