[Early epilepsy in acute traumatic coma]

14% Of a group of 500 consecutive acute traumatic comas presented epileptic manifestations within the first 15 days after the trauma. 63 Cases out of 73 (91.8%) had the 1st epileptic manifestation within the 1st 5 days after the trauma. In 72% of the cases the manifestations predominating in the epileptic picture were constituted by partial motor attacks that frequently became subintrant, were rarely generalized, and only slightly influencable by the usual pharmacological therapy. Early epilepsy was more frequent in children and persons over 60 yr of age, who presented a state of coma that was not deep, with signs of hemispheric or central damage and associated metabolic disorders. This was of brief duration and mostly represented a transitory episode in the course of the coma, and left the patient in deteriorated clinical and electroencephalographic condition. The deepest levels of coma associated with a mesencephalic and ponto bulbar syndrome were almost exempt from this complication...