Seizure

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS), also known as Rolandic epilepsy, is the most commonly seen epileptic syndrome within the idiopathic group of epilepsies in childhood [1] and it constitutes 10%–20% of all childhood epilepsies [2]. Diagnosis is mainly established by a stereotypical interictal electroencephalography (EEG) pattern [3]. The hallmark of BECTS on EEG is centrotemporal spikes (CTS) that are typically activated by drowsiness and stage N2 sleep [4]. Within the same patient, CTS can be seen on right ...

Several studies have reported pathological coagulation parameters and platelet abnormalities in patients treated with various antiseizure drugs (ASDs), especially for Valproic acid (VPA) [1,2,3,4,5,6]. However, there is uncertainty whether these abnormalities result in a clinically relevant bleeding risk [2,7]. Studies on patients undergoing epilepsy surgery [1,4] have observed coagulopathies and platelet abnormalities, which have even led to the practice of stopping treatment with VPA before elective surgery in many centers [8], although this practice is discussed controversially in the literature ...

Several studies have indicated that active epilepsy is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents [1–6]. People with epilepsy (PWE) consider driving issues to be one of the concerns with the most impact on quality of life,[1,7] and a balance needs to be achieved between society’s need for traffic safety and patients’ wish for autonomy and independence by being able to hold a driving license. In 2003, an “Epilepsy and driving working group” was established to harmonize regulations ...

Around 20% of people with epilepsy (PWE) visit a hospital emergency department (ED) each year [1–4]. Nine out of 10 PWE arrive at ED by ambulance [5,6]. Such visits are expensive, with around half of them resulting in admission [7]. The annual cost to the National Health Service (NHS) for these visits in England alone is ∼£70–90 M [7–9].

In case of seizure disorders, the key to the correct diagnosis is an accurate past history. Normally, details of the patient’s personal history and specific risks factors related to the condition under scrutiny are collected through open interviews and reported in the permanent record as free narrative, at the discretion and judgement of the interviewer. Symptom lists and structured questionnaires of various types and format have been proposed to facilitate the diagnostic process and guarantee its completeness.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the TSC1/TSC2 genes, which leads to hyperactivation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway [1]. TSC manifestations show high heterogeneity and can involve multiple organs, including the kidney, brain, heart, liver, and skin [2]. Epilepsy, as the most common neurologic complication, affects approximately 90% of patients, and among them, two-thirds are drug-resistant [3], which is defined as the failure to achieve seizure control with at least ...

Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE) is defined as a Status Epilepticus (SE) not accompanied by prominent motor phenomena [1]. The diagnosis of NCSE starts from a clinical suspicion arising in patients with an acute qualitative or quantitative alteration of consciousness not otherwise explained. Thus, the paucity of the clinical picture could make its diagnosis very challenging. Moreover, the EEG diagnosis of NCSE can be difficult and EEG diagnostic patterns have been debated among experts, even in the presence of a consensus ...

It is now well-known that epilepsy is not merely a neurological condition, but has also enormous negative psycho-social effects on people with epilepsy (PWE), such as depression, anxiety, and felt-stigma, which may have a greater impact than the physical aspects of the illness [1]. Previous research findings revealed that PWE had lower rates of marriage, and higher rates of unemployment and underemployment (e.g [2,3]) than the general population, mainly due to the combined effects of all these negative psycho-social effects ...

Cannabis as a treatment for epilepsy dates to the 1800s in the published literature, [1] with increasing interest over the last decade in its use as a treatment for pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy, driven partly by media reports of children whose seizures have responded to cannabis [2–4]. Until recently, there was little clinical evidence to support its use in this population [5], and there were wide differences between the beliefs of health care professionals and the public with respect to effectiveness ...

Sodium valproate was first approved for use in the treatment of epilepsy in 1978. It has particular efficacy in the treatment of the genetic generalized epilepsies [1], where effective alternative treatments are limited. In 1980, a letter published in The Lancet raised concern about the teratogenic potential of valproate in animal models [2], and in 1982, a birth defects monitoring system in France detected a relatively high rate of sodium valproate use in mothers of children born with neural tube ...