RESUMO
Electroencephalograhic and brain computed tomographic findings in 12 children with West syndrome were analysed. All the patients presented infantile spasms and psychomotor retardation. The results were as following. 1) EEG findings were abnormal in all. Hypsarrhythmia was present in 90%. 2) The serial EEG records improved with the reduction of spasms after ACTH treatment. But no change was observed with the reduction or cessation of spasms after other antiepileptic drugs. 3) Brain CT findings were abnormal in 5 out of 9 cases. Diffuse cerebral atrophy with fronto-temporal predominance was demonstrated in 4 cases. Multiple small low denstities were observed in one case. 4) The spasms were intractable to ACTH treatment for those with structural brain abnormalities on brain CT. 5) It seems that brain CT constitutes a valuable diagnostic tool in distinguishing between idiopathic and symptomatic cases and for greater prognostic accuracy, and serial EEG records can give a guide to the treatment.