Abstract
Benign familial neonatal epilepsy (BFNE), previously benign familial neonatal seizures,
is a relatively rare epilepsy syndrome arising in newborns. The genetic basis for
this syndrome has recently been defined. This review uses a case to illustrate the
challenges in the clinical approach to diagnosis in neonatal epilepsy, and gives the
clinician a summary of the genetic basis for BFNE. Finally, an overview of counseling
and clinical treatment of BFNE is discussed.
Keywords
Newborn infant - neonate - seizures - benign neonatal epilepsy - benign familial neonatal
seizures -
KCNQ potassium channels
