ObjectiveTo investigate characteristics of motor semiology of epileptic seizure originated from dorsolateral frontal lobe. MethodsRetrospectively analysis the clinical profiles of patients who were diagnosed dorsolateral frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) based on stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and underwent respective surgeries subsequently. Component of motor semiology in a seizure can be divided into elementary motor (EM, include tonic, versive, clonic, and myoclonic seizures) and complex motor (CM, include automotor, hypermotor, and so on). A Talairach coordinate system was constructed in the sagittal series of MRI images in each case. From the cross point of VAC and the Sylvian Fissure, a line was drawn antero-superiorly, which made an angle of 60° with the AC-PC line, then the frontal lobe could be divided into anterior and posterior portion. The epileptogenic zone, which was defined as ictal onset and early spreading zone in SEEG, was classified into three types, according to the positional relationship of the responding electrodes contacts and the "60° line": the anterior, posterior, and intermediate FLE. The correlation of the components of motor semiology in seizures and the location of the epileptogenic zone was analyzed. ResultsFive cases (26.3%) were verified as anterior FLE, among which there were 2 of EM, one of CM, and 2 of EM+CM. In 7 cases (36.8%) of intermediate FLE, there were one of EM, none of CM, and 6 of EM+CM. In the rest 7 cases of posterior FLE, there were 6 of EM, none of CM, and one of EM+CM. Compared with the cases that the epileptogenic zone involved anterior portion, the posterior FLE is more likely to present EM seizures (85.7%), and less likely to show CM components (P < 0.05). And Compared with the anterior FLE and posterior FLE, the intermediate FLE is more likely to present EM+CM seizures (85.7%)(P < 0.05). ConclusionThe motor seizure semiology of dorsolateral FLE has significant correlation with the localization of the epileptogenic zone. Posterior FLE mainly present a pure elementary motor seizure, and once the epileptogenic zone involved anteriorly beyond the "60° line", the component of complex motor seizure would be seen. Intermediate FLE, as its specialty of transboundary, is more likely to show "comprised semiology" of EM and CM. Construction of the "60° line" with AC-PC coordinate system in the MRI images may play an useful role in semiology analysis in presurgical evaluation of FLE.
Objective To explore the efficacy of low to moderate doses of levetiracetam in adult patients with newly diagnosed partial epilepsy and possible predictors for poor treatment response. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients treated in West China Hospital from March 2011 to December 2015 whose clinical data were input into the Epilepsy database. Patients with newly diagnosed partial epilepsy and whose initial anti-epileptic drug was levetiracetam were screened out for this study. Their clinical data, especially responses to the treatment of levetiracetam were reviewed. Results Ninety-six patients were included in this study. Seventy-one of them achieved seizure-free for a complete year after initial treatment of levetiracetam. Forty-eight patients (50.0%) achieved seizure-free with levetiracetam monotherapy; 23 patients (24.0%) achieved seizure-free for one year with levetiracetam combination therapy. Sixty-nine (97.2%) of the 71 patients achieved seizure-free with low to moderate doses of levetiracetam (500 to 1 500 mg/day), with or without combination of other antiepileptic drugs. High baseline seizure frequency before initial therapy was an independent predictor of poor levetiracetam response in this multivariate logistic regression mode (P=0.019). Conclusions Low to moderate levetiracetam is both effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed partial epilepsy patients. High baseline seizure frequency before initial therapy is an independent predictor of poor levetiracetam response.
ObjectiveTo determine the feasibility as well as the attitudes among caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy and adult patients with epilepsy in China towards the use of smart phone applications (apps) for the management of seizures. MethodsThe caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy, ages ranging from 0 to 17 years old and adult patients who were more than 18 years old, were enrolled in the study from the Epilepsy Prevention and Cure Center of West China Hospital within the time period from June to December 2015. A questionnaire gauging the attitudes towards using apps for seizure management was administered to the 502 epilepsy patients and 390 caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy. ResultsAmong adult patients, they were more likely to use an app in those who were young, lived in cities, had higher education, had a stable employment and had frequent seizures (P=0.002, P<0.001, P=0.001, P<0.001, P=0.01). Among caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy, participants were more likely to use an app in those who were male (P=0.03), had a higher education level, a higher annual household income as well as stable job (P<0.001, P<0.001, P=0.02). ConclusionThe results of this study imply a favorable attitude towards the use of apps for seizure management among adult patients and caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy. The use of such apps in China represents a promising strategy among caregivers for seizure management.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical data of 5 cases of congenital hyperinsulinemia with sizures as the initial symptoms. MethodsRisk factors in perinatal period, clinical manifestation, laboratory examination, treatment and follow-up visits of 5 cases of congenital hyperinsulinemia with sizures as the initial symptoms were analyzed retrospectively, who were admitted to Department of Neurology of Jiangxi Children's Hospital from July 2012 to August 2016. Results5 children were all male. The onset time varied from 3 to 9 mouths old. All the cases presented seizures as the main clinical manifestations, persistent hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, low free fatty acid and hypoketonemia. During follow-up, treatment with diazoxide and dietary therapy was effective in 3 cases, pure dietary therapy ineffective in 2 cases. 3 cases manifested as acute symptomic seizures, 2 cases as remote symptomic epilepsy. During follow-up, 1 cases showed normal intelligence, 3 cases developmental delay, and 1 case dropout. ConclusionMost of the infants with congenital hyperinsulinemia presented seizures as initial symptoms. Severe hypoglycemia and long duration would damage brain, and early management may significantly improve the prognosis. The early diagnosis can be made by measuring fasting blood glucose, insulin, free fatty acid and, plasma β-hydroxybutyric acid, C peptide and so on. The majority of children were effective by diazoxide.
Objective To preliminarily analyse the phenomenon of the first seizure in patients with epilepsy while driving a motor vehicle, and discuss its harms and possible coping strategies. Methods The first seizure while driving a motor vehicle was investigated among epilepsy patients who attended the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from June 2020 to March 2023. Results A total of five patients had their first seizure while driving a motor vehicle, all causing traffic accidents. One patient had a generalized tonic-clonic seizure with a first epileptic seizure, two had focal seizures with impaired consciousness that progressed to generalized seizures, and two had focal seizures with impaired awareness. One of the patients caused a fatal traffic accident, leading to the death of another person who riding the electric bicycle. In this case, the patient's driving license was revoked. The other four patients continued to drive after the first seizure. One patient terminated driving 5 months after the diagnosis of epilepsy. Two patients drove less since then, and one patient continued driving as before. Two patients experienced seizures again while driving, and one of them coincidentally had his second seizure while driving. Conclusions The first seizure while driving may not be uncommon, reflecting the severity of epilepsy and driving, in which traffic accidents can be fatal. People with epilepsy are currently prohibited from driving in China. After the first seizure, patients should immediately stop driving and go to see an epileptologist, avoiding further endangering themselves and the public.
ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the possible association between C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and post-stroke seizures. MethodsPatients with a first-ever ischemic stroke and no history of epilepsy before stroke who admitted to Western China Hospital were consecutively enrolled in our study. CRP levels were assessed within one week of stroke onset. After a mean follow-up period of 2.5 years, a follow-up assessment was performed to identify post-stroke epilepsy. Logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between CRP levels and post-stroke early-onset seizures or post-stroke epilepsy. ResultsAmong the 1, 116 patients included in our study, 36 (3.2%) patients had post-stroke early-onset seizures and 65 (5.8%) patients had post-stroke epilepsy. Elevated CRP levels were associated with a higher risk of post-stroke early-onset seizures (51.4±49.2 vs 15.9±12.9, P=0.023). This correlation was persisted even after adjusting for potential confounders[OR=1.008, 95%CI (1.003, 1.018); P=0.003]. No association was observed between CRP levels and post-stroke epilepsy. ConclusionsElevated CRP levels may be associated with higher risk of post-stroke seizures. However, because of the observational nature of the study, more studies are needed to confirm the results.
ObjectiveExploring the influencing factors of acute phase (≤ 21 days) seizures and epilepsy in patients with Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) in our hospital, including emergency and inpatient wards, mainly from the perspective of the number of mNGS of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) in cerebrospinal fluid. MethodsFrom January to Octomber 2023, 28 emergency and inpatient patients in our hospital were collected, excepted clinical datas were not detailed. In the end, 24 patients with HSE diagnosed were included in the study, and their clinical datas were collected, including age, gender, acute encephalitis syndrome, the form of the seizure and the number of seizures, time of lumbar puncture, and various indicators of cerebrospinal fluid [pressure, protein, cell count (mononuclear and multinucleated cells), metagenomic Next-generation sequencing (mNGS), neural autoantibodied associated with autoimmune encephalitis], electroencephalogram, cranial imaging examination reports, and treatment plans.ResultsA total of 24 patients were enrolled, including 9 patients with a history of hypertension and 4 patients with a history of diabetes. There were 18 males and 6 females, with an average age of (53.17±17.19) years. The maximum age was 73 years old, and the minimum age was 21 years old. Among the 24 patients, one patient first presented to the local hospital and then transferred to our hospital for lumbar puncture, so the time from the onset of the disease to lumbar puncture was 30 days, and the other patient’s family members refused to complete lumbar puncture at first,so the time of lumbar puncture was 14 days from the onset of the disease. The remaining 22 patients were all completed lumbar puncture within 7 days of onset, and all emergency patients completed lumbar puncture within 24 hours of admission to the Emergency Department. mNGS results: 23 cases were HSV-1, and the remaining 1 case was HSV- 2. There were a total of 6 cases of seizures and epilepy in the acute phase (≤21 days), with focal or generalized seizures or epileptic status as the main form, and 2 cases of seizures occurred. Among these 8 patients, 5 showed lesions in the frontal and temporal lobes on enhanced cranial MRI, while the other 3 showed no specific features. At the same time, mNGS of cerebrospinal fluid suggested that the sequence number of HSV was greater than 3 000 was related with seizures and epilepsy with acute HSE. Conclusion Seizures and epileysy in acute HSE were related with the presences of intracranial cortical involvement,and the number of viral sequences in mNGS was closely related to acute phase seizures and epilepsy.
ObjectiveTo explore the prognostic value of normal 24 hour video electroencephalography (VEEG) with different frequency on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) withdrawal in cryptogenic epilepsy patients with three years seizure-free. MethodsA retrospective study was conducted in the Neurology outpatient and the Epilepsy Center of Xi Jing Hospital. The subject who had been seizure free more than 3 years were divided into continual normal twice group and once group according to the nomal frequence of 24 hour VEEG before discontinuation from January 2013 to December 2014, and then followed up to replase or to December 2015. The recurrence and cumulative recurrence rate of the two group after withdrawal AEDs were compared with chi-square or Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier survival curve. A Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis to identify the risk factors for seizure recurrence after univariate analysis. P value < 0.05 was considered significant, and all P values were two-tailed. Results95 epilepsy patients with cause unknown between 9 to 45 years old were recruited (63 in normal twice group and 32 in normal once group). The cumulated recurrence rates in continual two normal VEEG group vs one normal VEEG group were 4.8% vs 21.9% (P=0.028), 4.8% vs 25% (P=0.006) and 7.9% vs 25%(P=0.03) at 18 months, 24 months and endpoint following AEDs withdrawal and there was statistically difference between the two groups. Factors associated with increased risk were adolescent onset epilepsy (HR=2.404), history of withdrawal recurrence (HR=7.186) and abnormal VEEG (epileptic-form discharge) (HR=8.222) during or after withdrawal AEDs. The recurrence rate of each group in which abnormal VEEG vs unchanged VEEG during or after withdrawal AEDs was respectively 100% vs 4.92% (P=0.005), 80% vs 19.23%(P=0.009). ConclusionsContinual normal 24h VEEG twice before withdrawal AEDs had higher predicting value of seizure recurrence and it could guide physicians to make the withdrawal decision. Epileptic patients with adolescent onset epilepsy, history of seizure recurrence and abnormal VEEG (epileptic-form discharge) during or after withdrawal AEDs had high risk of replase, especially patients with the presence of VEEG abnormalities is associated with a high probability of seizures occurring. Discontinuate AEDs should be cautious.
ObjectiveTo retrospectively study the acute epileptic seizures of patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR)and anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1(anti-LGI1)encephalitis. The characteristics and short-term prognosis provide reference for early clinical diagnosis and treatment.MethodsThe patients with anti-NMDAR and anti-LGI1 encephalitis who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2018 to June 2020 were continuously included. The general information, clinical manifestations, acute seizures and types of seizures were reviewed and analyzed.To evaluate the difference between the characteristics of two kinds of autoimmune encephalitis in the acute phase of seizures and the short-term prognosis.ResultsA total of 75 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and anti-LGI1 encephalitis (41 males and 34 females) were included, of which average ages are(32.8±17.9)years, average courses are(1.8±1.1)months.59 and 16 are respectively positive for anti-NMDAR and anti-LGI1 antibodies, respectively. Of the 75 cases, 56 cases (74.7%) had seizures in the acute phase. Among the 56 cases of seizures, 38 cases (67.8%) were accompanied by disturbances of consciousness, 5 cases (8.9%) of autonomic dysfunction, and 24 cases of decreased oxygenation capacity. (42.9%) and 20 cases (35.7%) who were admitted to NICU, there was a significant statistical difference compared with the seizure-free group (P<0.05). The median age of anti-NMDAR encephalitis in the acute stage of seizures was 23 years, and that of anti-LGI1 encephalitis was 56.5 years (P<0.05). Anti-NMDAR encephalitis and anti-LGI1 encephalitis are common in the acute phase of epileptic seizures (55.9%vs.53.8%). Anti-NMDAR encephalitis has more frequent seizures and status epilepticus in the acute phase (P<0.05). After early and rational use of anti-epileptic drugs(AEDs) and immunotherapy and other symptomatic and supportive treatments, 70% of 56 patients were effectively controlled for seizure. Follow-up 3 months later, 18 patients (32.1%) stopped using anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), While 30 patients (53.5%) continued to receive AEDs treatment, of which 25 patients (44.6%) had no seizures.ConclusionBoth anti-NMDAR encephalitis and anti-LGI1 encephalitis have a higher risk of seizures in the acute phase. Patients with seizures are more likely to have disturbances in consciousness, decreased oxygenation capacity, and higher rates of admission to NICU. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is more common in young people around 30 years old, and anti-LGI1 encephalitis is more likely to develop around 60 years old. Patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis are more likely to have abnormal electroencephalograms, have a longer average hospital stay, and are more likely to have recurrent seizures and status epilepticus in the acute phase. After timely diagnosis and intervention treatment, most patients' seizures can be well controlled. After the acute phase, AEDs can be withdrawed in one third of patients.
Patients with autoimmune encephalitis are mainly characterized by behavioral, mental and motor abnormalities, neurological dysfunction, memory deficits and seizures. Different antibody types of autoimmune encephalitis its pathogenesis, clinical characteristics are different, in recent years found immune related epilepsy is closely related to autoimmune encephalitis, based on autoimmune encephalitis type is more, we choose more common autoimmune encephalitis, expounds its characteristics, to help clinical diagnosis.