We comment on a recent report proposing epileptic spasms as the predominant motor manifestation in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Based on detailed video-EEG and polygraphic analysis, we argue that the described motor events differ fundamentally from epileptic spasms and are better interpreted as complex paroxysmal motor phenomena related to periodic EEG complexes. Accurate phenomenological and neurophysiological classification is essential to avoid diagnostic ambiguity in SSPE.
Fusco et al. (Thu,) studied this question.