Treatment of idiopathic West and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes by intravenous administration of human polyvalent immunoglobulins.

A total of 7 patients (3-21 years old) suffering from an intractable "primary" Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) were treated with i.v. high doses of polyvalent human immunoglobulins. Of these patients 6 improved following such treatment with a decrease in fits and an improvement in the EEG. Hypotheses about the contribution of the treatment and immunopathological factors in some cases of idiopathic LGS are discussed.

[Comparative study of valproic acid and sodium valproate (author's transl)]. / Etude comparative de l'action de l'acide valproïque et du valproate sodique.

The action of valproic acid prescribed instead of sodium valproate in strictly identical conditions was analysed in 11 epileptic children and 24 adults. No change in therapeutic effect was observed in a large proportion of cases. However, blood tests showed an increase in serum levels in most cases. Thus, valproic acid can be of help in cases hitherto treated with sodium valproate, on the same basis as diphenylhydantoin; the acid form sometimes offers an advantage over the use of the sodium salt.

[Electroencephalogram and CAT scan in 393 cases of epilepsy. Consistency between focal EEG changes and focal CAT changes (author's transl)]. / Electroencéphalogramme et tomographie assistée par calculateur dans 393 cas d'épilepsie. Etude des correspondances des localisations EEG et des localisations dédouvertes par la tomographie assistée par calculateur.

A simultaneous study of EEG recordings and CAT scans in 393 epileptics led to the following findings:--in our population, the EEG pattern is normal in 6.8% of the cases and the CAT normal in 64.6%;--focal EEG changes give focal CAT changes in 38.6% and diffuse changes in 4.1% of the cases;--diffuse EEG changes give focal CAT changes in 18% and diffuse changes in 8.8% of the cases;--focal CAT changes give focal EEG changes in 68% and diffuse changes in 28% of the cases;--diffuse CAT changes give focal EEG changes in 27.5% and diffuse changes in 51.8% of the cases;--out of the 393 epileptics, 72 presented distinctly focal changes on simultaneous EEG and CAT records. The changes were on the same side in 80.5% of the cases. The reasons for the lack of consistency in 19.5% of the cases are discussed.