Treatment with flunitrazepam of continuous spikes and waves during slow wave sleep (CSWS) in children

SummaryWe describe our treatment of two boys with continuous spikes and waves during slow wave sleep (CSWS). One of the boys was suffering from non-convulsive status epilepticus and the other from conscious disturbance with automatism. Their ictal EEG readings showed continuous diffuse spike and wave complexes, which were considered to show electrical status. The boys were diagnosed as having CSWS, and were later diagnosed with Landau–Kleffner syndrome (LKS). EEG readings returned to normal on intravenous injection of flunitazepam (FZP) at a dose of 0.02mg/kg, suggesting that FZP is an effective treatment for CSWS