Epileptic crisis during and after cerebrovascular diseases. A clinical analysis of 78 cases]

Seventy-eight patients with post-stroke seizures were studied retrospectively to determine the clinical, EEG and CT features of these seizures and their prognosis. There were 57 cerebral infarctions and 21 hemorrhages. Twenty-eight (36%) initial seizures occurred within one month after the stroke (0-24 hours in 19 cases) and were classified as early-onset seizures. Fifty (64%) initial seizures occurred more than 3 months after the stroke (3-12 months in 33 cases) and were classified as late-onset seizures. Compared with a population of 1938 strokes admitted during the same period, the proportion of patients with alcohol abuse, infarction in the anterior cerebral artery territory, watershed infarcts and lobar haemorrhages was significantly greater in our series. The proportion did not vary with the nature of the stroke (infarction or hemorrhage), except for early onset seizures in which the proportion of hemorrhages was significantly greater. Nor did it vary with the cause of hemispheric infarctions (cardioembolism or atherothrombosis or others). Ninety-five percent of the lesions affected the cerebral cortex or the subcortical white matter or both. Of all 78 initial seizures, 64% were partial motor (simple or secondarily generalized); 32% were primarily generalized, and 4% were partial not motor; status epilepticus was seen in 14% of the cases. An initial EEG, performed in 76 patients was normal in 7. Among the remaining 69 patients EEG showed focal or diffuse slowing down in 63% and epileptic features in 37% (including 10 cases of PLEDs). Early post-seizure EEG and repeated recordings significantly increased the specificity of EEG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

老年人卒中后痫样发作现象的调查研究

This prospective study sought to investigate the clinical,radiological and electroencephalographic(EEG) characteristics of seizures in elderly stroke patients,and their outcomes.Over a 2-year study period,158 consecutive elderly patients with stroke were examined and followed up.Of these patients,32(20%) developed seizures,primarily related to stroke,within a follow up period between 5 months and 2 years.Of these 32 cases,20 experienced infarctions,and 12 experienced hemorrhages.Involvement of cortical regions was detected in most of the patients exhibiting seizures.In these patients,44% of the lesions involved cortical areas exclusively or in addition to subcortical areas observed on computed tomography(CT) images.Twenty-five patients(78%) developed early seizures(within 2 weeks after stroke),and half exhibited immediate post-stroke seizures.None of the patients exhibiting early onset seizures developed recurrent seizures or epilepsy,while 57% of late onset seizures(four cases) developed epilepsy.No specific EEG patterns were apparent in those who later developed epilepsy.Overall,early onset seizures after stroke were found to be relatively common,and did not affect outcome.Late onset seizures were less common,but were associated with chronic epilepsy.     

Frequency and characteristics of early seizures in Chinese acute stroke

We retrospectively studied 1200 hospitalized acute strokes of all etiologies between July 1990 and August 1992. Ninety-six % of all strokes underwent computed tomography of the head. Fifty-eight percent of the 1200 strokes were brain infarction, 32% brain hemorrhage, 6% subarachnoid hemorrhage and 4% were other stroke subtypes. Thirty (2.5%) of all strokes suffered from early seizures. The incidences of early seizures were 2.8% in brain hemorrhage, 2.3% in brain infarction, 2.7% in subarachnoid hemorrhage and 2% in other stroke subtypes. Early seizures were documented in 6% of the patients with carotid territory cortical infarctions and 12% of the patients with lobar hemorrhage, whereas only 0.6% of the patients without carotid territory cortical infarctions and 0.6% of the patients without lobar hemorrhage were affected. Sixty- six percent of 30 early seizures were partial seizures, 24% generalized and status epilepticus were seen only in 10%. In conclusion, we found the early seizure incidence was 2.5% in Chinese patients hospitalized with acute strokes. There was no correlation between seizure occurrence and stroke subtypes. Early seizure developed significantly higher in acute stroke patients with lesions of the cortex than those patients without cortical involvement. The partial seizures were the most frequent type occurring in 66% of all acute stroke patients with early seizures.     

Lupus anticoagulant and late onset seizures

Lupus anticoagulant was found in the plasma of 4 patients who presented with late-onset epileptic seizures. Three of the patients had clinical or electroencephalographic evidence of focality. No significant cerebral pathological findings were detected by the computed tomogram except for an old infarction in one case. None of the patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus. The relationship between late-onset seizures and the presence of lupus anticoagulant is discussed. The possible etiology of an ischemic episode due to hypercoagulability, expressed uniquely by seizures, is suggested.     

Prognostic implications of seizure recurrence in the first year after anterior temporal lobectomy

PURPOSE: Seizure recurrence after anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) incites concerns of whether seizures will eventually be successfully controlled. Our study evaluated the prognostic significance of seizure recurrence in the first year after ATL. METHODS: The postoperative courses of 175 consecutive patients who had undergone ATL and had > or =2 years of follow-up were studied. Recurrence was considered early if the first seizure occurred within 7 days after ATL and late if it occurred >7 days after ATL. Recurrent seizures were considered provoked when precipitating factors were present, such as interruption of antiepileptic drug (AED) intake. Subsequent outcome was determined at terminal follow-up. RESULTS: Percentage of excellent outcome was comparable between patients whose initial recurrent seizures were auras or simple partial seizures and patients without seizure recurrence in the first year (86.7 vs. 93.1%; p > or = 0.05). However, percentage of excellent outcome was less when the initial recurrent seizure was complex partial, either with or without secondary generalization (44.8%; p < or = 0.01). Outcome was not different between early and late seizure recurrence (excellent in 41.7 vs. 55.7%; p > or = 0.05). Nonetheless, patients with either early or late seizure recurrence were less likely to have excellent outcome than were patients with no seizure recurrence in the first year (p < or = 0.001). Percentage of excellent outcome was best when patients were seizure free in the first year (93.1%), intermediate when initial recurrent seizure was provoked (72.0%), and worst when unprovoked (27.8%) (p < or = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the first postoperative year, the type of initial recurrent seizure, whether aura or complex partial and whether provoked or unprovoked, is associated with long-term prognosis in seizure control after ATL. The timing of the initial seizure recurrence is not as important.     

Preoperative and postoperative seizures in patients with astrocytic tumours: analysis of incidence and influencing factors.

To evaluate the incidence and influencing factors related to preoperative and postoperative seizures, a retrospective analysis was performed in 190 patients with astrocytic tumours. Preoperative seizures occurred in 50 (26%) patients and 27 (54%) of the m had recurrent seizures. Late-onset seizures developed after craniotomy in 11 (8%) of 140 patients. Seizures at presentation were significantly correlated with age at diagnosis (P=0.0204) and pathological grade of tumour (P=0.0040). The patients aged less than 40 years had a high risk of seizures at presentation (odds ratio=3.076, P=0.0134). Postoperative seizures were significantly associated with the presence of preoperative seizures (P<0.0001), type or duration of preoperative seizures (P<0.0001, P<0.0001, respectively) and serum level of anticonvulsant drug (P=0.0068). However, only the presence of preoperative seizures had a potential for prediction of postoperative seizures when evaluated by logistic regression model (odds ratio=20.859, P=0.0001). Fifty-nine percent of patients with recurrent seizures and 64% of patients with late-onset seizures had seizures which occurred within 6 months after craniotomy. Despite therapeutic anticonvulsant levels, most postoperative seizures were associated with tumour recurrence or haemorrhage. Postoperative seizures commonly occurred relatively soon after craniotomy and prophylactic anticonvulsants should be given. In patients with postoperative seizures, particularly in the presence of therapeutic anticonvulsant level, brain computed tomography should be performed to exclude tumour recurrence or haemorrhage.     

卒中后癫发作复发影响因素的研究

目的 旨在通过回顾性研究卒中后癫发作及其复发情况,并分析其可能的影响因素,为临床治疗提供参考。
方法 将122例卒中后癫发作患者分组：单次癫发作（随访至少6个月只出现1次癫发作）组26例,癫发作复发（卒中后出现≥2次癫发作）组96例。观察患者的基础情况、卒中的危险因素、卒中的类型、癫发作的类型、发作频次、治疗等情况与复发的关系。
结果 性别、年龄、卒中的类型、卒中危险因素、卒中的部位以及脑电图改变在两组间无差异。晚发性癫发作、部分性癫发作以及接受治疗情况在组间有统计学差异（P<0.05～0.01）。Logistic多元回归提示晚发性癫发作是癫发作复发的危险因素之一,比值比为3.628;95%置信区间为1.237～10.638,部分性癫发作患者较全面性癫发作患者更易复发,比值比为10.50,95%置信区间为1.35～81.97。
结论 晚发性癫发作是癫发作复发的影响因素之一,部分性癫发作患者倾向于复发。     

Seizures after stroke : a prospective clinical study

Stroke is one of the most common causes of epilepsy in elderly. However, there have been very few prospective studies to define the incidence, pattern and outcome of seizures in stroke. Most studies are based on retrospective analysis of hospital records. Hence, we planned this prospective study to see the clinical, radiological and electroencephalographic characteristics of seizures in stroke and their outcome, from a north Indian tertiary care centre. Over a span of approximately 6 years, 269 consecutive patients with stroke were studied and followed up. Thirty-five (13%) of these developed seizures, primarily related to stroke, during mean follow up period of 15.9 months. Twenty of these had infarctions while 15 had haemorrhages. Involvement of the cortical region was seen in most of the patients with seizures. In these patients, 86% of the lesions involved cortical areas exclusively or in addition to subcortical areas on CT scan of the brain. Twenty-seven (77%) developed early seizures, two third of them had immediate post-stroke seizures. None of the patients with early onset seizures developed recurrent seizures or epilepsy, while 50% of late onset seizures developed epilepsy. No specific EEG pattern was found in those who later developed epilepsy. In the present study, early onset seizures after stroke were rather common and did not affect outcome and did not recur even when not treated with anti-epileptics. Late onset seizures were less common but were associated with recurrent seizures.     

Epileptic seizures in post-stroke patients

We were investigating the frequency of early (within 30 days) and late (within 12 months) poststroke epileptic seizures, in our group consisting of 483 patients with stroke (423 cases of ischaemic stroke and 60 cases of haemorrhagic stroke) and without prior diagnosis of epilepsy. In 28 (5.8%) cases early seizures were observed. The most common type of early seizures were generalised seizures, slightly less frequent were simple partial seizures. EEG usually showed focal slow waves or non-specific slowing of background activity. Among 195 one-year survivors late seizures occurred in 6 (3.1%). 5 of them had ischaemic stroke. 30 day and 12 months fatality in the group of patients with seizures was not significantly higher than in all stroke patients.     

EEG findings after a cerebral territorial infarct in patients who develop early- and late-onset seizures

BACKGROUND: EEG findings are generally not considered to be very helpful for the diagnosis of poststroke seizures. PURPOSE: This retrospective study investigates the EEG characteristics in patients who develop seizures after a cerebral territorial infarct. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 110 patients with seizures after a cerebral territorial infarct (12 with early- and 98 with late-onset seizures) and 275 without. All 110 patients had an interictal EEG after their first seizure. The EEG patterns after the stroke were compared between those available from 69 patients who developed seizures and those from 275 who did not. Also the EEG patterns after the seizure (n = 110) were compared to those in the poststroke group without subsequent seizures. RESULTS: Periodic lateralized epileptic discharges (PLEDs) on the EEG after stroke were only found in 5.8% of the patients with early- and late-onset seizures. They were absent in the stroke group without seizures. Frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activities (FIRDAs) were observed in 24.6% of the seizure group, compared to 1.1% in the control group. Diffuse slowing occurred also significantly more often in the former (21.7%) compared to the latter group (5.1%). Normal EEG findings were seen in 53.8% of the stroke patients without seizures, compared to 8.5% in those with seizures. The incidence of focal slowing was the same in both groups. Similar findings were observed when comparing the EEG patterns of the patients after the first poststroke seizure to those of the stroke group without subsequent seizures. In patients with early-onset seizures, PLEDs or FIRDAs were present in 25% each. FIRDAs and diffuse slowing were significantly more frequently observed on the poststroke EEGs of patients who developed late-onset seizures. CONCLUSIONS: FIRDAs, PLEDs and diffuse slowing are the most frequent EEG findings in patients with early-onset seizures. Patients with FIRDAs and diffuse slowing on the poststroke EEG have a high risk to develop late-onset seizures, while the chance is reduced in those with normal EEG findings.     

Computed tomographic-angiographic findings within the first five hours of cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Modern management of acute stroke necessitates early diagnosis. To this end, we sought to delineate the radiographic features of focal hemispheric infarction within 5 hours of ictus. METHODS: Fifty patients, ages 54-79, with ischemic strokes productive of at least hemiparesis underwent computed tomographic scanning and cerebral angiography (n = 38) or carotid ultrasound (n = 12). Radiographic lesions were characterized for location, size, and pathophysiology. RESULTS: Acute abnormalities, hypodensity, and mass effect were seen in 56% of scans and confirmed on a second scan 5-7 days later. Intracranial angiographic abnormalities occurred in 61% of patients: arterial occlusions in 45% and delayed arterial filling in 16%. Hemorrhagic infarctions occurred in 26% of second scans and were associated with mass effect (100%) and arterial occlusions (89%). Infarcts with hemorrhagic transformation were larger on both scans than those without (p = 0.001). Of four patients with infarctions in watershed territories on the scans, two had middle cerebral artery occlusions on angiography, thereby questioning the specificity of such scan lesions to low-flow states. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that cerebral infarctions are often visible on early scans, but their locations may not be etiologically determinative. The infarcts associated with intracranial arterial occlusions (45%) were of thromboembolic origin, but, given current controversies as to the pathophysiology of lacunar and watershed infarctions, we cannot ascertain the etiology in the remainder. These findings are relevant to the new stroke therapies that require administration in the first hours after infarction.     

Clinical correlations of occipital epileptiform discharges in children.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of different causes of occipital epileptiform discharges (OEDs) in children and to analyze the EEG features that help predict epilepsy type and prognosis. METHODS: We identified children with OEDs in the absence of other focal discharges using an EEG database at our center; the presence of generalized spike-wave discharges (GSW) or slowing was not an exclusion criterion. Diagnosis, neurologic status, seizure semiology, and seizure remission status were recorded. RESULTS: Of 90 patients with OEDs, 50 (56%) had symptomatic seizures (18 with cerebral palsy, 11 with cerebral dysgenesis, 8 with genetic abnormalities); 31 (34%) had idiopathic seizures, including 6 with benign childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (BCEOP), 8 (9%) had no seizures; and 1 (1%) had febrile seizures. Only two reported ictal visual symptoms. Eighty-seven percent with background slowing had symptomatic seizures, and 87% with normal backgrounds had idiopathic seizures (p < 0.001). Of 72 children with seizures and adequate follow-up, 28 of 45 (62%) with a normal background experienced seizure remission compared with 10 of 27 (37%) with background slowing (p = 0.04). Twenty of 81 patients with epilepsy had GSW. Twelve (60%) of the 20 GSW-positive patients had idiopathic epilepsy compared with 19 of 61 (31%) without GSW (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Most epilepsy in referred children with OEDs is symptomatic; syndromes such as BCEOP are rare. Visual ictal symptoms are rare. The presence of GSW or a normal background rhythm correlates with idiopathic seizures and a better prognosis.     

中风后癫痫59例分析

对641例中风患者追踪观察1～3年,结果59例出现癫痫发作,中风后癫痫发生率为9.20％;脑出血与脑梗塞癫痫发生率间比较无已著差异(P>0.05);皮层损害者癫痫发生率显著高于皮层下损害者(P<0.01);脑出血继发癫痫发作多属早期发作(8/11),而脑梗塞多属迟发性癫痫发作(40/48)(P<0.01);早期癫痫发作需长期服抗癫痫药控制者显著低于迟发性癫痫发作(P<0.01)。提示:病损波及皮层是重要的致痫因素;早期发作与迟发性癫痫发作的发病机理不同,故表现出治疗与转归不同;迟发性癫痫尤其病灶波及皮层者长期规则服抗癫痫药是必要的。     

Paroxysmal hyperventilation responses in the adult electroencephalogram

Hyperventilation (HV) is an important activating procedure in clinical EEG. Paroxysmal HV slowing is associated with hypoglycemia and is common in children. Paroxysmal slowing in adults is sometimes interpreted as indicating cerebral instability or paroxysmal tendencies. We investigated the clinical correlates of paroxysmal HV slowing in 100 consecutive EEGs recorded in 1984 and compared these to 100 controls (age-matched normal EEGs recorded since 1982). Twenty-eight percent of patients over 15 with paroxysmal HV slowing not due to hypoglycemia had headaches, 80% of them vascular. Ten percent had syncope, 15% acute behavioral changes possibly representing seizures, 9% psychiatric disorders, 5% assorted complaints of obscure etiology, 20% had clinically definite seizures, 10% assorted neurologic disorders other than epilepsy, and 3% mental retardation. Fewer patients with HV paroxysms had epilepsy than did control individuals (p less than 0.05), while neurologic disorders of other kinds were more often found in those with HV paroxysms (p less than 0.025). Specific psychiatric diagnoses were less frequent in the paroxysmal HV group, but the difference was not significant. Paroxysmal HV responses in non-hypoglycemic adults may identify individuals prone to syncope, vascular headaches, or other autonomic dysfunction. They are not correlated with epilepsy however, and should not be considered abnormal.     

Antiepileptic treatment in patients with early postischemic stroke seizures: a retrospective study.

Early seizures caused by stroke are a common cause of epilepsy in adults. The protocol for treatment in such a case is not clear. Patients were studied retrospectively after early poststroke seizures. Two groups of patients were compared: one treated group included 35 patients who continued therapy for 2 years; the second group of 23 patients were untreated following a first attack, receiving anticonvulsive therapy only after a second seizure. The data of 61 patients (35 treated and 26 untreated) were analyzed. In the treated group, 24 patients were on treatment with carbamazepine, 9 with valproic acid and 2 with phenytoin. Seizure-free rate after 2 years was 85% in group I and 61% in group II (p = 0.042). Comparing the seizure rate and the event-free period (number/follow-up at risk) during the 2 years of no anticonvulsive therapy, both groups experienced about the same seizure rate (4.8 vs. 6.2%, p = 0.605) and similar seizure-free curve survival analysis (p = 0.85). We conclude that treatment of seizures immediately after the first attack after cerebral infarctions decreases the risk of recurrent seizure during the first 2 years of antiepileptic treatment. This subgroup of patients receiving antiepileptic medication immediately after the first poststroke seizure continues to be at the same rate of risk after treatment was stopped as the untreated group during the first 2 years. Antiepileptic therapy is an option in the medical management of poststroke seizure patients, but has no influence on the development of recurrent seizures after discontinuing medication.     

Magnetic resonance imaging after seizures in patients with an ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND: Seizures related to ischemic strokes are harmful. Their pathogenesis is not very well understood. The present study investigates whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can detect if those seizures are due to recurrent infarction or responsible for secondary ischemic changes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: DWI was obtained within 8 days in 60 patients with seizures (7 early and 53 late onset) related to an ischemic stroke. RESULTS: In 30 patients, positive DWI with decreased apparent diffusion coefficient was found. In 11 patients with late-onset seizures, the DWI showed a positive rim, surrounding the old infarct, while in 12 patients a large positive zone corresponding to a new infarct was observed. All 7 patients with early-onset seizures had positive DWI corresponding to the establishing infarct. A large positive zone on DWI was mainly observed in cardioembolic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The positive rim around the old infarct can be considered as cytotoxic edema. Recurrent acute infarction, mainly of cardioembolic origin, seems to be a significant cause of so-called late-onset seizures, making the subdivision into early- and late-onset seizures arbitrary.     

EEG abnormalities aid diagnosis of Rett syndrome

Nine girls with Rett syndrome had 22 electroencephalographic studies performed over 5 years. Nineteen waking tracings demonstrated moderate background slowing. Focal epileptiform activity was observed in 13 studies, 10 of which had bilateral independent foci. Spikes were invariably maximal in central regions, diphasic or triphasic, and of very short duration. In 3 patients, epileptiform activity preceded clinical seizures by up to 2 years. Two children had spontaneous hyperpnea preceding apnea during wakefulness with further background slowing. Video monitoring of 2 children revealed that episodic behavioral changes were not seizures. Ten of 12 sleep recordings had abnormal background activity with absent or rudimentary spindles. Normal activity occurred only in girls younger than years of age. Epileptiform activity was markedly increased during sleep in 8 tracings in which both wakefulness and sleep were obtained. It was characterized by bilaterally independent and bisynchronous spike-and-wave activity, maximal in parasagittal areas. One patient had bursts of high-voltage slow-wave activity followed by attenuation. No apneic episodes were recorded during sleep. In Rett syndrome, electroencephalographic abnormalities include background slowing, centrally located short-duration spikes, and increased epileptiform activity during sleep. This activity commonly preceded clinical seizures in patients studied at initial presentation.     

Epileptic seizures in intracerebral haemorrhage.

Among 1402 patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), seizures occurred in 64 (4.6%) and epilepsy in 35 (2.5%). Seizure was the first manifestation of ICH in 19 patients (30%). Status epilepticus occurred in 11 patients (17%) and it was the initial presentation of ICH in six (9%). The majority had simple partial seizures that were predominantly focal and motor. There were 38 patients with early seizure and 26 patients with late seizure. Ninety per cent of seizures occurred within one year after ICH. Eleven patients (29%) with early seizure developed epilepsy, whereas 24 patients (93%) with late seizure developed recurrent seizures. The incidence of seizure was 32% for lobar haematoma, 2% respectively for putaminal, thalamic and pontine haemorrhages and 1% for cerebellar haemorrhage. Twenty-six (62%) out of 42 patients with lobar haematomas developed epilepsy. Thirteen patients (34%) with early seizure died within three months after the onset of seizures whereas three patients (12%) with late seizure died within the same period. The majority of patients who died had deep-seated haematomas.     

Determinants of early recurrence of cerebral infarction. The Stroke Data Bank

We studied 1,273 patients with ischemic cerebral infarction who were entered into the Stroke Data Bank, a prospective, observational study involving four university hospitals and the Biometry and Field Studies Branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Forty patients had noniatrogenic recurrent stroke within 30 days after the index cerebral infarction. Using life tables, the 30-day cumulative +/- SE risk of early recurrence for all infarctions was 3.3 +/- 0.4%. The risk of early recurrence was greatest for atherothrombotic infarction (7.9 +/- 2.2%, eight of 113 patients) and least for lacunar infarction (2.2 +/- 1.2%, eight of 337 patients). Both cardioembolic infarction (4.3 +/- 0.9%, 10 of 246 patients) and infarction of undetermined cause (3.0 +/- 0.5%, 14 of 508 patients) had intermediate risks. History of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, as well as diastolic hypertension and elevated blood sugar concentration at admission, were associated with early recurrence. Logistic regression analysis estimated the risk of early recurrence to be 8.56% in those with coexisting hypertension and a glucose concentration of 300 mg/dl versus 0.77% in the absence of these two abnormalities. Early recurrence was associated with longer median duration of initial hospital stay (27 vs. 14 days) and a higher 30-day case-fatality rate (20% vs. 7.4%). Increased weakness scores were associated with early recurrent stroke. Identification of the determinants of early recurrent stroke may lead to better secondary prevention and may help select high-risk patients for further study.     

Changes in cerebral blood flow and recovery from acute stroke

We prospectively studied 14 patients with acute cerebral infarctions using serial 133Xenon inhalation cerebral determination (133Xe-rCBF), scored neurological examinations, and neuropsychological testing. All patients underwent the same battery of tests at 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after cerebral infarction to determine the prognostic value of early rCBF studies and the chronological relationship of changes in rCBF to clinical status. Baseline rCBF within 3 days of symptoms of acute stroke did not correlate with clinical neurological outcome (r = -0.17, p less than 0.30; r = -0.18, p less than 0.28, for the two indices of rCBF used). Among the 11 patients demonstrating neurological recovery, 7 improved at 1 week, significantly before increases in rCBF (p less than 0.05). We conclude that early baseline rCBF does not predict clinical outcome in patients with acute cerebral infarctions and that return of neurological function precedes rather than follows increases in rCBF.