Prolonged ictal paralysis: electroencephalographic confirmation of its epileptic nature

Somato-inhibitory status epilepticus is a rare condition which may pose some problems of differential diagnosis. The authors describe the case of a girl who suffered from episodes of prolonged ictal paralysis lasting from some minutes to some hours. One seizure was described 2 hours from onset. The EEG showed a continuous spike activity on the right side, predominantly on the parieto-rolandic areas. Status was stopped by the administration of clobazam per os. The physiopathological mechanism of this rare form of status epilepticus is discussed.