This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Andrew N. Wilner, MD: Welcome to Medscape. I'm Dr Andrew Wilner, reporting from the American Epilepsy Society meeting.
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr Chethan Rao, a child and adolescent neurology resident from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr Rao has a particular interest in pediatric epilepsy. Welcome, Dr Rao.
Chethan Rao, DO: Thank you, Dr Wilner. It's a pleasure to be here, and thanks for taking the time to highlight our work.
Wilner: You had a very interesting paper at the meeting that I wanted to talk about, focused on infantile spasms and smartphone video. Before we dive into the paper, tell us: What are infantile spasms, and why is it important to diagnose them early?
Rao: Infantile spasms, also known as epileptic spasms, are 1- to 2-second seizures, and they typically consist of sudden stiffening of the body with brief bending forward or backward of the arms, legs, and head. They usually happen around age 3-8 months, and they typically occur in clusters, most often after awakening from sleep.
The incidence is about 1 in 2000-3000 children. Many kids with spasms go on to develop seizures that are very difficult to treat, like Lennox-Gastaut epilepsy, and many go on to have developmental delays as well.
COMMENTARY
Smartphone Diagnosis in Infant Seizures Could Be Highly Effective
Andrew N. Wilner, MD; Chethan Rao, DO
DisclosuresApril 27, 2022
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Andrew N. Wilner, MD: Welcome to Medscape. I'm Dr Andrew Wilner, reporting from the American Epilepsy Society meeting.
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr Chethan Rao, a child and adolescent neurology resident from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr Rao has a particular interest in pediatric epilepsy. Welcome, Dr Rao.
Chethan Rao, DO: Thank you, Dr Wilner. It's a pleasure to be here, and thanks for taking the time to highlight our work.
Wilner: You had a very interesting paper at the meeting that I wanted to talk about, focused on infantile spasms and smartphone video. Before we dive into the paper, tell us: What are infantile spasms, and why is it important to diagnose them early?
Rao: Infantile spasms, also known as epileptic spasms, are 1- to 2-second seizures, and they typically consist of sudden stiffening of the body with brief bending forward or backward of the arms, legs, and head. They usually happen around age 3-8 months, and they typically occur in clusters, most often after awakening from sleep.
The incidence is about 1 in 2000-3000 children. Many kids with spasms go on to develop seizures that are very difficult to treat, like Lennox-Gastaut epilepsy, and many go on to have developmental delays as well.
Medscape Neurology © 2022 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Smartphone Diagnosis in Infant Seizures Could Be Highly Effective - Medscape - Apr 27, 2022.
Tables
Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Authors
Andrew N. Wilner, MD
Neurohospitalist, Department of Neurology, Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, New London, Connecticut
Disclosure: Andrew N. Wilner, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant, or trustee for: Accordant Health Services, a CVS Caremark Co.
Receives royalties for: Epilepsy: 199 Answers, 3rd ed (Demos Publications) and Bullets and Brains (Createspace Independent Publishing Platform)
Chethan Rao, DO
Physician, Department of Child Neurology, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, Florida
Disclosure: Chethan Rao, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.