Landau–Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) and epilepsy with continuous spike-waves during slow-wave sleep (CSWS)

The LKS and CSWS are rare disorders of young children, characterized by a subacute deterioration of language, which tends to be a receptive aphasia in LKS and an expressive aphasia in CSWS. Varying degrees of cognitive, behavioral, and motor dysfunction are associated with the aphasia. Seizures occur in most children with these disorders, but are not the major challenge for treatment. The impaired language and cognitive dysfunction are correlated with the extent of electrical status epilepticus during sleep, which can be difficult to treat. Benzodiazepines given in conjunction with sodium valproate and corticosteroids are currently considered the most effective treatments. Surgery, in the form in multiple subpial transactions, may benefit a highly selected subset of patients.