Epilepsia
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To assess the impact of contralateral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings on seizure outcome after hemispherectomy for refractory epilepsy. ⋯ MRI abnormalities, usually mild to moderate in severity, were seen in the contralateral hemisphere in the majority of children who underwent hemispherectomy for refractory epilepsy due to various etiologies, especially those that were congenital or early acquired. The contralateral MRI findings, always much less prominent than those in the ipsilateral hemisphere, did not correlate with seizure outcome and may not contraindicate hemispherectomy in otherwise favorable candidates.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of midazolam nasal spray and diazepam rectal solution for the residential treatment of seizure exacerbations.
Rectal diazepam is established as a standard rescue or emergency treatment for seizure or status epilepticus; however, the rectal route of administration has not been universally accepted. To determine if an alternative route of administration of a benzodiazepine was equally effective, we compared a novel midazolam HCl concentrated nasal spray (MDZ-n) with diazepam rectal solution (DZP-r) in the treatment of prolonged seizures in a residential epilepsy center. In 21 adult patients with medically refractory epilepsy, 124 seizure-exacerbations were treated by their caregivers, alternatively with 10 mg DZP-r and 10 mg concentrated MDZ-n, two or three treatments with each medication for each patient. ⋯ The nasal spray was preferred to the rectal solution by 16 of 21 caregivers and patients conjointly. MDZ-n was equal to DZP-r with respect to efficacy and side effects in the suppression of seizure exacerbations. The majority of patients and caregivers preferred the nasal spray over the rectal formulation.
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Tolerance to drug treatment is a serious problem in the treatment of epilepsy. We previously showed that tolerance to levetiracetam (LEV) developed within 4 days after the start of the treatment in a rat model for spontaneous seizures after electrically induced status epilepticus. In the current study we tested whether the development of tolerance to LEV could be prevented by alternating between LEV and valproate (VPA) treatment. ⋯ Because alternating treatment with LEV and VPA led to a prolonged effective seizure control in the animal model, it would be worthwhile to explore the possibilities of using an alternating treatment protocol in pharmacoresistant patients in whom an effective treatment is hampered by tolerance to antiepileptic drugs.
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Comparative Study
Medically intractable epilepsy in Sturge-Weber syndrome is associated with cortical malformation: implications for surgical therapy.
Anecdotal reports have described cortical malformations in epileptic patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS). No data are available regarding the prevalence and significance of this association. ⋯ We conclude that cortical malformations are frequent in patients with medically intractable epilepsy and Sturge-Weber-syndrome and may be the primary cause of epilepsy.
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Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in a comatose patient cannot be diagnosed without electroencephalography (EEG). In many advanced coma stages, the EEG exhibits continuous or periodic EEG abnormalities, but their causal role in coma remains unclear in many cases. To date there is no consensus on whether to treat NCSE in a comatose patient in order to improve the outcome or to retract from treatment, as these EEG patterns might reflect the end stages of a dying brain. ⋯ Hence coma-LED and coma-GED can be diagnosed with EEG only. Subtle or stuporous status epilepticus and epilepsia partialis continua-like symptoms in severe acute central nervous system (CNS) disorders represent the borderland in this biologic continuum between NCSE proper and comatose NCSE (coma-LED/GED). This pragmatic differentiation could act as a starting point to solve terminologic and factual confusion.