Seizure

In rare cases, patients with epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS) exhibit suppression-burst (SB) patterns on electroencephalography (EEG), similar to the findings observed for patients with Ohtahara syndrome and early myoclonic encephalopathy. In this report, we discuss six cases of EIMFS in which patients exhibited two types of SB patterns.

Poor sleep is a frequent complaint of patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). Our group has recently reported that PNES subjects more frequently complained of poor sleep patterns relative to those with epilepsy [1], however the study was limited by use of a single item from the Beck Depression Inventory to assess changes in sleep patterns. Currently, little is known about the pattern and cause of sleep problems in PNES. One prior study investigated sleep architecture of 8 PNES and ...

Management of epilepsy usually involves the long-term use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and a substantial percentage of patients require polytherapy to control their seizures [1]. The use of multiple AEDs poses a risk of drug interactions including enzyme induction or inhibition, alterations in protein-binding and expression of transporter proteins [2]. It may result in decreased efficacy or increased toxicity of AEDs. The use of some older AEDs (e.g. carbamazepine or phenytoin), known as potent hepatic enzyme-inducers is a major source ...

DOCK7(MIM:615730) plays a key role in neurogenesis by promoting the differentiation and transition of radial glial cells to basal progenitors and neurons [1]. DOCK7also regulates tangential neuroblast migration in the postnatal mouse forebrain [2].

The epilepsy surgery patient management conference (PMC) is a fundamental part of the pre-surgical evaluation and represents the final stage of the process [1–3]. Previous work has demonstrated high inter-rater reliability of surgical decision making among epilepsy centers utilizing multidisciplinary PMC [4]. Less is known about the accuracy of predicting outcomes using this approach. Studies are identifying ways to improve predictions of post-operative outcomes [5,6]. During this meeting attended by staff in epilepsy, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, nuclear medicine, neuropsychology, psychiatry, social ...

Status epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency with severe consequences especially in elderly with other co-morbidities (1). SE has a bimodal distribution with the highest incidence in children <1 year and adults older than 60 years (2,3). Generalized convulsive status epilepticus (GCSE) is the most common and life-threatening type of SE with an overall mortality of around 20%. Mortality is higher in the elderly being 30% to 70% (4,5).

Status epilepticus (SE) is defined as continuation of seizures for more than 5 minutes [1] and is a medical emergency that requires immediate assessment and treatment [2]. Subdivision of stages of SE have been defined depending on the degree of response to treatment and duration of treatment needed. The ILAE’s classification [1] defines two ‘operational dimensions’, being the intial seizure duration requiring treatment (T1) of five minutes, and the seizure duration associated with neurological sequelae (T2) of 30 minutes.

Healthcare organisations in the UK primarily measure clinical activity from data collected on numbers of attendances at outpatient clinics, inpatient admissions and procedures performed etc. Telephone contacts with patients are not typically measured as clinical activity. This service evaluation examines the utility and value of the Epilepsy Specialist Nurse (ESN) within an innovative ‘Open Access Model’, giving a breakdown of clinical workload and outcomes.

We describe the novel phenotypic features of an adult male patient carrying a p.Arg297Gln (c.890 G > A) mutation of the KCNA2 gene encoding the voltage-gated potassium channel KV1.2. This mutation has been previously reported in patients presenting with epileptic encephalopathy (MIM # 616366) and early-onset polymorphic seizures [1–3] but, unlike the other cases, the clinical aspects of our patient included prominent and worsening action myoclonus consistent with progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME).

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a group of non-progressive motor disorders secondary to lesions or anomalies of the developing brain [1].It has a reported prevalence of approximately 1.5–3 per 1,000 [2]. There is a high association between CP and epilepsies. Epilepsies affect between 15 -55% of children and adults with CP, compared with 3 -6 per 1000, in the general childhood population [3]. Children with CP are prone to many types of seizures and epilepsy syndromes. In most children, epilepsy ...