Neuropsychological assessment of refractory epilepsy in children – a case series in neuropediatric outpatient clinic
Neuropsychological assessment of refractory epilepsy in children – a case series in neuropediatric outpatient clinic

Summary/Abstract: Epilepsy is reported as a brain disorder where it has a persistent predisposition to epileptic seizures, which may give rise to neurobiological, cognitive, psychological and social sequels. The aim of this study was to characterize the cognitive performance of children with refractory epilepsy in a specialized outpatient clinic, in order to observe the neuropsychological development of these patients. Method This investigation followed a quantitative method of case series study. Nine children from a hospital’s neuropediatric outpatient clinic with an average age of 8.6 years-old (md=11; sd=2,10) were evaluated, with seven boys and two girls. The cognitive functions assessed were language, arithmetical and motors skills, intelligence, memory and executive functions. Results Of the nine patients assessed, there were five different types of epilepsy, being very difficult to standardize the group. There was no statistical significance related to patients’ IQ when compared to the mean standardized value of 90. However, it may be observed that the patients who had the earlier onset of the crises presented the lower IQ. There were important deficits in the attention and in the activities related to the verbal fluency of the evaluated patients. Conclusion It is known that epilepsy is a syndrome, which can often be disabling, present in a significant portion of the population. Studies on the condition must be performed in order to increase the understanding and the interest of the professionals for a better treatment of these patients.

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