Infantile spasm (IS), also known as West syndrome, is a unique form of epilepsy present almost entirely during infancy (the first year of life) (1). IS was first described in 1841 by Dr. William James West in a letter to Lancet, describing new infantile convulsions in his 4-month-old son (2).
The condition is characterised by the triad of:
IS is seen in roughly 2-3 per 10,000 live births
IS can be classified aetiologically into 3 categories:
Reference:
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