Uncommon epileptic syndromes in children: a review

Epileptic syndromes are well-defined conditions comprising particular clinical features [seizure types, age of onset, response to treatment] and characteristic electroencephalographic changes, while their etiology and subsequent prognosis may vary. The recognition of these syndromes is fundamental for pediatric neurology practice, representing an essential learning topic in this field. Nevertheless, many epileptic syndromes are still quite unfamiliar to students, residents and even neurologists, because of their low incidence and their minimal representation in the literature. This narrative review discusses the concept of epileptic syndromes and revisits seven lesser-known or uncommon syndromes in order to summarize their core clinical features, which can become important clues for daily neurological practice, namely epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures, myoclonic epilepsy of infancy, self-limited infantile epilepsy, myoclonic encephalopathy in nonprogressive disorders, Jeavons syndrome, and epilepsy with myoclonic absences.