Development of posttraumatic epilepsy.

Ten out of 55 patients with closed cerebral injury were documented to develop posttraumatic epilepsy in a prospective follow-up study comprised of repeated clinical, CT, CBF, and neuropsychological examinations. Primary convulsions, focal intracerebral hemorrhagic lesions at the acute stage, and pronounced, mainly subcortical atrophy, as well as impaired local CBF 3-12 months after the injury were the factors which were associated significantly often with posttraumatic epilepsy. Antiepileptic prophylaxis should be focused in cases presenting these risk factors, and might be wise to be continued for several years, at least in patients with chronic alcoholism.