Cognitive deficits during status epilepticus and time course of recovery: a case report

Epilepsia. 2007 Oct;48(10):1979-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.01157.x. Epub 2007 Jun 11.

Abstract

We describe a young woman with progressive cognitive and neurological deficits during a parietal lobe status epilepticus (SE). Ictal FDG-PET showed left parietal lobe hypermetabolism and frontal lobe hypometabolism with concomitant EEG slowing. Cognitive and neurological deficits fully reversed more than 1 year after seizure remission, and were associated with normalization of FDG-PET and EEG. Our findings suggest that ictal hypometabolism and EEG delta activity at a distance from the epileptic focus were seizure-related phenomena, possibly representing inhibition in seizure propagation pathways, which could be responsible for the epileptic encephalopathy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anticonvulsants / therapeutic use
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnostic imaging
  • Cognition Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Delta Rhythm / statistics & numerical data
  • Electroencephalography / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Frontal Lobe / metabolism*
  • Frontal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Neural Inhibition / physiology
  • Neural Pathways / metabolism
  • Neural Pathways / physiopathology
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Parietal Lobe / diagnostic imaging
  • Parietal Lobe / metabolism*
  • Parietal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / statistics & numerical data
  • Status Epilepticus / diagnosis*
  • Status Epilepticus / drug therapy
  • Status Epilepticus / physiopathology*
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Anticonvulsants
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18