Aspetti neurologici e medico-legali della epilessia post-traumatica: Revisione critica e casistica del ventennio 1974-1993

The data concerning a longitudinal search study on post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) together with a literature review on this topic are reported. The study, spanning from 1974 to 1993, includes 1,417 subjects with head injuries. An overall PTE incidence of 1.4% was found. The percentage incidence raised to 7.1% in the subgroup with moderate brain contusion and to 22% in the subgroup with severe brain contusion. These results showed a good concordance with the data reported in the literature. Furthermore, the future damage and the correct evaluation of the risk for PTE were discussed. The authors suggested a new statistic-mathematical formula to calculate the risk index for PTE, by which they evaluated the future damage in the studied population. According to this new criterion the overall PTE incidence shifted from 1.4 to 2%, from 7.1 to 9.8% in the moderate brain contusion subgroup and from 22 to 33% in the severe brain contusion subgroup.