“Eyelid myoclonia with absences" (EMA): Electroclinical features ["Eyelid myoclonia with absences": Caratteristiche elettrocliniche]

EMA can be defined as an epileptic syndrome characterized both by absences with slight reduction of consciousness associated to eyelid myoclonia occurring after eye closure and by peculiar EEG. In this study we describe 14 patients who respond to the following features: absences associated with eyelid myoclonia precipitated above all by eye closure and EEG characterized by paroxistic response with polispikes and spike-slow wave complex (3-6 Hz) within 5 sec after eye closure. We emphasize mean age of pts (33 yr.) and high diagnosis delay mainly (19.5 yr.), association with GTCS (80%), environmental and laboratory photosensitivity (80%).