Department of Neurology  West syndrome and complex partial
seizures  Q: Hi...  I was wondering if you could send us some
info on these two topics. My god-daughter was diagnosed with
West's Syndrome last year and we were told yesterday that they
have "become" partial complex seizures. She is in her second
week of treatment on 150mg a day of tregretol. ACTH was used in
the past, and while it was successful in temporarily stopping
the seizures, she has recently begun to have them again. We have
exhausted our libraries in search for material, and the hospital
and staff don't have much information to provide us with.  Thank
you for your attention in this matter. Hamilton, Ontario  A:
West syndrome is an age-specific epilepsy that occurs during the
first years of life. It consists of 1) spasms, that result in
sudden flexing of the body or thrusting of the arms and legs 2)
a specific EEG (brain wave) pattern called hypsarrhytmia and 3)
developmental problems. It is often associated with an
underlying brain problem,