Project description:The study aimed to identify distinct phenotypes within nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE). Consecutive episodes of NCSE in patients at least 14 years old were included. The level of consciousness was assessed through the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Etiology of NCSE was defined as symptomatic (acute, remote, progressive) or unknown. Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were searched for lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs), generalized sharply and/or triphasic periodic potentials (GPDs), and spontaneous burst suppression (BS). According to treatment response, NCSE was classified as responsive, refractory, or superrefractory. Average linkage hierarchical cluster analysis was performed with Pearson correlation as similarity measure. Two hundred twenty-nine episodes of NCSE were included. Three clusters were identified. The first cluster linked GCS score 3-8, presence of spontaneous BS on EEG, acute symptomatic etiology, and treatment superrefractoriness. The second cluster gathered GCS score 9-12, presence of LPDs or GPDs on EEG, unknown etiology, and treatment refractoriness. The third cluster associated GCS score 13-15, absence of LPDs, GPDs, and spontaneous BS on EEG, and progressive and remote symptomatic etiology with treatment responsiveness. Phenotyping the heterogeneity of NCSE into electroclinical clusters can contribute to understanding correlations between pathologic and clinical domains, assessing the intrinsic severity of NCSE episodes, and estimating the likelihood of treatment responsiveness.
Project description:Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) can be triggered by metabolic disturbances and drugs in adults without previous epilepsy. We present the case of a 51-year-old woman without previous history of epilepsy and recently diagnosed with infiltrating lobular breast carcinoma. Following the administration of paclitaxel-cremophor, she presented a striking disinhibited behavior with episodic spatial disorientation, emotional indifference, and irritability. Urgent EEG was consistent with NCSE. Clinical improvement and resolution of EEG abnormalities were observed following the administration of intravenous levetiracetam and lacosamide. Other causes of NCSE were ruled out, and antiepileptic drugs were slowly tapered off without new episodes of abnormal behavior after three months of follow-up. We have reported the first case of NCSE secondary to paclitaxel-cremophor. Neurologists and oncologists should consider NCSE as an unusual complication of treatment with paclitaxel-cremophor in patients without a history of epilepsy.
Project description:Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare, rapidly progressive spongiform encephalopathy in humans. EEG plays an important role in diagnosing this disease. In some patients, epileptic activity and encephalopathy from various aetiologies may share morphological features on EEG. This similarity could create difficulties in EEG interpretation, especially if the patient presents with disturbed consciousness. In this case report, a 74-year-old female with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presented initially with rapidly progressive impairment of consciousness and focal epileptiform activity on EEG. An EEG performed 25 days later showed periodic sharp-wave complexes with triphasic morphology at a rate of 0.5 Hz, compatible with a diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Based on these results, we recommend that a diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease be considered in patients presenting with a rapid deterioration of consciousness and a clinical presentation of nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Monitoring these patients with serial EEGs could be useful to establish an accurate diagnosis.
Project description:ObjectiveTo describe the clinical features and outcome of anti-NMDA receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis in patients ≥45 years old.MethodObservational cohort study.ResultsIn a cohort of 661 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, we identified 31 patients ≥45 years old. Compared with younger adults (18-44 years), older patients were more often male (45% vs. 12%, p < 0.0001), had lower frequency of tumors (23% vs. 51%, p = 0.002; rarely teratomas), had longer median time to diagnosis (8 vs 4 weeks, p = 0.009) and treatment (7 vs. 4 weeks, p = 0.039), and had less favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2 at 2 years, 60% vs. 80%, p < 0.026). In multivariable analysis, younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.15, confidence interval [CI] 0.05-0.39, p = 0.0001), early treatment (OR 0.60, CI 0.47-0.78, p < 0.0001), no need for intensive care (OR 0.09, CI 0.04-0.22, p < 0.0001), and longer follow-up (p < 0.0001) were associated with good outcome. Rituximab and cyclophosphamide were effective when first-line immunotherapies failed (OR 2.93, CI 1.10-7.76, p = 0.031). Overall, 60% of patients older than 45 years had full or substantial recovery at 24 months follow-up.ConclusionsAnti-NMDAR encephalitis is less severe in patients ≥45 years old than in young adults, but the outcome is poorer in older patients. In this age group, delays in diagnosis and treatment are more frequent than in younger patients. The frequency of underlying tumors is low, but if present they are usually carcinomas instead of teratomas in younger patients. Early and aggressive immunotherapy will likely improve the clinical outcome.
Project description:Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (Anti-NMDA) receptor encephalitis is an acute autoimmune neurological disorder. The cause of this disease is often unknown, and previous studies revealed that it might be caused by a virus, vaccine or tumor. It occurs more often in females than in males. Several cases were reported to be related to vaccination such as the H1N1 vaccine and tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis and polio vaccines. In this study, we reported an anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis case that may be caused by Japanese encephalitis vaccination. To investigate the association between anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and vaccination, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationship of the microRNAs, which significantly regulate these vaccine viruses or bacteria, and the phylogenetic relationship of these viruses and bacteria. This reveals that anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis may be caused by Japanese encephalitis vaccination, as well as H1N1 vaccination or tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis and polio vaccinations, from the phylogenetic viewpoint.
Project description:Objective: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is an uncommon clinical manifestation in patients with TBC1D24 mutations. In addition, NCSE has not been reported as a syndrome together with cerebellar ataxia and ophthalmoplegia. Methods: We herein report the clinical and genetic features of a four-year-old patient with NCSE, cerebellar ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia caused by hitherto unidentified TBC1D24 mutations. We performed 24-h video electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging, and gene sequencing on the patient and her parents to determine the diagnosis. Results: We identified a novel c.1416_1437del (p.Ser473Argfs*43) mutation, as well as the previously identified c.1499C>T (p.Ala500Val) mutation in TBC1D24, by using targeted next-generation sequencing. The novel mutation (inherited from the mother) is the first reported deletion mutation longer than 20 bp in TBC1D24. The p.Ala500Val mutation inherited from father has been reported in a German patient with infantile myoclonic, for whom results from the EEG and neuroimaging were normal. These two mutations resulted in the severe phenotypes observed in our patient Conclusions: The identification of the novel TBC1D24 mutation and consequent complicated clinical manifestations suggest that patients with NCSE and ataxia demand more attention. We further recommend that genetic test should be administered to these patients to avoid genetic inheritance of this mutation.
Project description:PurposeEpilepsy is a common complication of gliomas. The diagnosis of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is challenging because it causes impaired consciousness and mimics glioma progression. NCSE complication rate in the general brain tumor patient population is approximately 2%. However, there are no reports focusing on NCSE in glioma patient population. This study aimed to reveal the epidemiology and features of NCSE in glioma patients to enable appropriate diagnosis.MethodsWe enrolled 108 consecutive glioma patients (45 female, 63 male) who underwent their first surgery between April 2013 and May 2019 at our institution. We retrospectively investigated glioma patients diagnosed with tumor-related epilepsy (TRE) or NCSE to explore disease frequency of TRE/NCSE and patient background. NCSE treatment approaches and Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS) changes following NCSE were surveyed. NCSE diagnosis was confirmed using the modified Salzburg Consensus Criteria (mSCC).ResultsSixty-one out of 108 glioma patients experienced TRE (56%), and five (4.6%) were diagnosed with NCSE (2 female, 3 male; mean age, 57 years old; WHO grade II 1, grade III 2, grade IV 2). All NCSE cases were controlled by stage 2 status epilepticus treatment as recommended in the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Epilepsy by the Japan Epilepsy Society. The KPS score significantly decreased after NCSE.ConclusionHigher prevalence of NCSE in glioma patients was observed. The KPS score significantly decreased after NCSE. Actively taking electroencephalograms analyzed by mSCC may facilitate accurate NCSE diagnosis and improve the activities of daily living in glioma patients.
Project description:We studied slow (≤2.5 Hz) nonevolving generalized periodic epileptiform discharges (GPEDs) in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of comatose patients after cardiac arrest (CA) in search of evidence that could assist early diagnosis of possible hypoxic nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) and its differentiation from terminal brain anoxia (BA), which can present with a similar EEG pattern. We investigated the topography of the GPEDs in the first post-CA EEGs of 13 patients, using voltage-mapping, and compared findings between two patients with NCSE and GPEDs > 2.5 Hz (group 1), and 11 with GPEDs ≤ 2 Hz, of whom six had possible NCSE (group 2) and five had terminal BA (group 3). Voltage mapping showed frontal maximum for the negative phase of the GPEDs in all patients of groups 1 and 2, but not in any of the patients of group 3, who invariably showed maximization of the negative phase posteriorly. Morphology, amplitude, and duration of the GPEDs varied across the groups, without distinctive features for possible NCSE. These findings provide evidence that, in hypoxic coma after CA with slow GPEDs, anterior topography of the maximum GPED negativity on voltage mapping may be a distinctive biomarker for possible NCSE contributing to the coma.
Project description:Coffin-Lowry syndrome (CLS) is a rare neurodevelopmental condition caused by heterogeneous mutations in the RPS6KA3 gene on the X chromosome, leading to severe intellectual disability and dysmorphism in men, while women are carriers and only weakly affected. CLS is well known for stimulus-induced drop episodes; however, epilepsy is not commonly reported in this condition. We report on a CLS patient presenting with recurrent episodes of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) with generalized epileptic activity, for which investigations did not find any other cause than the patient's genetic condition. This case underlines that the possibility of nonconvulsive epileptic seizures and status epilepticus should, therefore, be considered in those patients. The treatable diagnosis of NCSE may easily be overlooked, as symptoms can be unspecific.