Background: At the National Center for Epilepsy, many years of clinical experience with children with difficult-to treat epilepsy has left the impression that many of these children may have motor difficulties in addition to their seizures. The aim of this prospective, uncontrolled study was to investigate if this impression could be confirmed.
Material and methods: In 41 children with "epilepsy only", i.e. without mental retardation or cerebral palsy, their motor performance was evaluated by means of the ABC test (Movement Assessment Battery for Children).
Results: More than half of the children had test results consistent with motor difficulties. The motor problems were most pronounced among those with MRI-detectable brain lesions and symptomatic localisation-related epilepsy. Gender, type and number of antiepileptic drugs or seizure frequency did not influence the test results.
Interpretation: Hidden motor dysfunctions, which may be caused by the aetiology of the epilepsy, the epilepsy itself, or the epilepsy treatment may easily be overlooked and may represent an extra burden for the children both at school and in their leisure time. We recommend that motor function should be tested in children with severe epilepsy as part of a comprehensive multiprofessional evaluation. Those with poor motor performance should be offered sensory motor stimulation.