Study of CT Scan Findings in Children with Seizures in Tabriz Children's Hospital, Iran
Author(s): Parisa Hajali Oghli* and Mehdi Hafezi Nasab Jolgeh
Abstract
Introduction: Seizures occur in 3 to 4 percent of children under the age of 6 years. Although it’s clinical manifestation can be very worrying for families, its prognosis is generally good and in some cases it may lead to epilepsy.
Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the CT scan findings of children with seizure in Tabriz Children's Hospital.
Materials and Methods: In this study patients who were sent to children's CT scan for seizure and epilepsy were enrolled. Before performing, questions included age, sex, clinical symptoms, type of seizure, history of seizure, EEG findings, family history of seizure, duration of seizure were asked. Then, patients who have a CT scan indication were sent to do so. After performing the CT scan, all of the information, including the CT scan report, entered the statistical analysis program.
Results: According to CT scan findings, 28 patients (28%) had abnormal findings and 72 (72%) had normal findings. Mean ± SD of patients’ age with normal CT scan findings was 3.76 ± 3.02 years and in patients with abnormal CT scan findings was 3.17 ± 2.85 years. There was significant relationship between CT scan findings and the age of the patients (p=0.001). Mean ± SD of duration of seizure history with normal CT scan finding was 23.79 ± 3.52 months and in patients with abnormal CT scan findings was 21.93 ± 1.87 months. There was statistically significant relationship between CT scan findings and duration of seizure history in the studied patients (p=0.001). In boys, the findings of CT scan were normal in 39 patients (67.9%) and abnormal in 18 patients (32.1%). In girls’ population 34 patients (77.3%) had normal CT scan findings and in 10 patients (22.7%) CT scan findings were abnormal. There was no statistically significant relationship between gender and CT scan findings (p=0.372). Patients with normal CT scan findings also had normal EEGs. In contrast to 28 patients with abnormal CT scan findings, 17 patients (60.7%) had normal EEG and 11 patients (39.3%) had abnormal EEG findings. There was a significant correlation between CT scan and EEG findings in seizure detection (p=0.001). The most common cause of abnormal CT scan findings was cerebral edema, with the frequency of 7 patients (25%).
Conclusion: CT scan findings are more abnormal in children with lower age seizures and longer seizure history. Also, in the present study, the increased frequency of localized seizures indicates that in our study, the majority of hospitalized patients had.