Atypical presentations of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: a review.

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is the most common epileptic syndrome in childhood. Atypical forms of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes are common. The different atypical forms of the condition are believed to represent a continuum of the same underlying genetic mechanism. The atypical forms of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes include electrical status epilepticus in slow waves sleep, Landau-Kleffner syndrome, status epilepticus of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, "classic" atypical form, and others. This review delineates the different forms with emphasis on the cognitive hazards of the more malignant types.